


Recognition

by madyateyourson



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Fantasy, Dark Magic, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, I guess that's up to you to decide, Semi-Dark Jareth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2020-11-23 17:29:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 64,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20894249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madyateyourson/pseuds/madyateyourson
Summary: Ten years after running the labyrinth, Sarah Williams is working as an archivist and librarian in Boston. Though she remembers nothing from her time Underground, Sarah received special abilities that she can't explain. When an unnerving experience leads her to try therapy, Sarah meets someone who should be a stranger but seems oddly familiar. Will this stranger be her salvation? Is he a stranger at all? Or will Jareth ultimately seek revenge for Sarah's victory over him ten years ago?





	1. Chapter 1

On the first day of October it rained. Torrentially.

Sarah carried her groceries and tried to increase her pace as she walked from the bus stop to her apartment. The rain began to fill her shoes and soak into the canvas bags holding her food.

Hauling her purse up higher on her right shoulder, Sarah pushed into the lobby and dug out her keys as she strode past the security guard with a smile. When she was out of view, she dropped the keys back into her purse and her groceries at the threshold.

Shaking out her wet hair, she turned her doorknob and walked inside. She toed off her soggy shoes and dragged the bags in.

She began to put her groceries away and looked out the window, grimacing with a flash of guilt as her gaze lowered to the bus pass hanging on a hook just beside the sill. She’d forgotten it this morning, though that hadn’t made much a difference to her or to the bus driver. Sarah thought back to _that _incident, frowning.

_She rushed through the open bus doors, pulling out her bag and looking for her pass. It wasn’t there, and Sarah’s stomach sank as she realized she’d forgotten it at home. Already late for work, she knew that going back home to retrieve the pass would only make her later. _

_She glanced up at the driver, who stared back with equal parts disinterest and apathy. He hadn’t closed the doors. “I’m so sorry, if you keep going, I’m sure I’ll find my pass” she said. The driver barely looked her way when he replied “Sorry Miss – can’t move the bus till you pay your fare. City laws.”_

_She looked away from the driver and at a small, older man watching the interaction with interest. Her cheeks heated at the attention and the fact that the driver wouldn’t move the bus until she’d either paid or left. _

_She swiped a hand across her forehead and moved so she was facing the window and away from the old man. She concentrated for a moment – summoning the ability she knew she had but rarely liked to use. _

_She half turned to the driver and fixed her eyes on him, beseeching. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem if you let me ride without my pass, just this once. No one would have to know and I’d be so, very grateful.” She kept her eyes on the man, willing him to look back._

_The driver caught her eye and began to turn until he was fully facing her. Sarah knew it had worked – people never said no to her when she really tried. The driver’s eyes were partially glazed over when he slowly said “You’re right – not a problem, Miss. Go right on ahead.”_

_Smiling, almost wincing, Sarah nodded to the driver and swept past the curious old man – still watching. She picked a seat in the back and next to the window and let out a long breath. _

Using what her old college roommate had called her “innate charm” always left her feeling guilty and off-balance – as if she’d committed a breach of trust or autonomy. She supposed she had – the driver wouldn’t have let her ride the bus if she hadn’t pushed him and through his mental defenses. His free will, she thought somewhat bitterly.

Another part of her mind tried to justify her actions, suggesting that it was a small push – hardly something to fuss over. Sarah shoved those thoughts away and decided to stew in her guilt for the next few minutes.

She figured that was better than not feeling anything – not taking some measure of responsibility for what she knew was a very significant form of power. A form of power that she didn’t know much about and didn’t care to examine.

This _charm _was just one of two abilities that Sarah had possessed for quite some time. She hadn’t always been able to persuade others so…effectively. She knew she’d acquired that power at some point, but just couldn’t remember when. Her other odd power was her ability to open doors.

_Open _was an inadequate word to use – doors were simply never locked to Sarah. In fact, she had trouble remembering that locks and closed doors generally kept others _out_. _That _certainly made for embarrassing situations whenever she forgot and surprised people on the other side.

When Sarah tried to think about it, she could feel the beginnings of a memory, one that seemed to address the first time she’d received her abilities, a time when she’d encountered _real _magic. The first time she’d truly felt like a freak and out of control.

She tried to concentrate and bring it to mind, to examine it. She thought she’d been speaking to someone…. perhaps a stranger….definitely a man… Sarah shook her head to clear her thoughts. Memories from that period were murky, at best.

She didn’t often attempt to think about her teen years. _Repressed trauma _was what her new therapist used to explain the lack of clarity. She figured that those years had either been too boring or too depressing to be remembered. She also vaguely recalled being a bit of a prick at that age.

Either way, Sarah didn’t remember enough. Her stepmother wasn’t much help, either. Sarah didn’t blame her, though – Sarah’s father had died in a freak accident around her 15th birthday, falling off their roof with little explanation as to why he’d been up there in the first place.

He’d left Sarah, her half-brother Toby, and Karen to fend for themselves. Karen hadn’t been the same since. And Sarah’s mother, Linda…had also changed.

She’d always been selfish -- or so Karen said -- but after Sarah’s adolescence, and her dad’s accident, Linda could hardly be bothered to send a birthday card.

Not that Sarah had really known what her mother was like before that accident. She could vaguely remember a happy, beautiful, flighty, and social woman from her childhood. Then again, that could just be something she had gleaned from the photos in albums hidden in the attic that Karen wanted to forget about.

Sarah had left that home, had left Karen and Toby, when she was 18. First, she’d gone to college thousands of miles away in California; later, she’d moved to Boston for her Master’s degree. She still lived in Boston, working as a librarian and archivist at Northeastern University.

She’d lived in the city for four years now; though she was social and had a solid pool of friends, she often had trouble really _clicking _with people. This didn’t stop others from approaching her – on the contrary, Sarah frequently found herself with a potential new friend or lover only to feel disappointment when the relationship collapsed under the weight of her expectations.

People always left her wanting, somehow. She’d call it picky, but that seemed too negative.

Regardless, Sarah was happy with the handful of friends that _did _meet her expectations and saw them often enough. Unfortunately, her friends didn’t have the same issues clicking with others and went out for drinks, dated, and met new people all the time.

The past summer had found Sarah caving into Sabine and Natalie’s cajoling and encouraging – she found herself making a sincere effort to use dating apps and find a suitable partner.

That had ended one evening when Sarah’s own dismissed feelings of apprehension were substantiated by the end of a terrible second date – she’d had to use her rudimentary education on self-defence (courtesy of two gym classes she’d taken in college with friends) to get away from a man that wouldn’t take no for an answer. She was okay, if shaken up, and Sabine had found an organization that facilitated free therapy for “victims” of sexual assault and harassment.

The incident hadn’t left Sarah feeling as scared or depressed as she thought she would be. As she thought she _should _be. Yet the therapist didn’t seem to think her willingness to get on with her life (Sarah’s words) was batshit insane – this suited Sarah just fine.

She’d only decided to try the free therapy as it seemed like something she could do – something solid and meaningful that would help her take control of an awful situation. Plus, Sarah figured there must be something wrong with her anyway. Her memory blocks around her adolescence – not to mention her trouble connecting to others – left her feeling decidedly abnormal. This was the case without cataloguing her odd persuasiveness and knack for opening locked doors.

Taken together, Sarah supposed that her situation was beyond professional help. Yet the appointments were only every other week and made her feel like she was accomplishing something – whether or not that was actually the case. Sabine and Natalie encouraged it, but they felt a misplaced sense of guilt for what had happened to Sarah months ago.

She tried to reassure them, to tell them that it wasn’t anywhere near their fault, but at a certain point her assurances became too exhausting to continue repeating. So, she continued to go to therapy and tried not to discuss it with her friends very often.

She had therapy the next day, a Thursday, and tried to write down some of the things that had “empowered” her during the week. This was as close to a prescription as her therapist would give. Sarah thought back through the preceding days and began to write.

_Helped a history professor find some useful sources for their next book at work. Felt capable._

_Ran three miles on Monday. Felt strong._

_Made vegetable stock last Saturday – sorted it into three Tupperware. Will use for soups next week. Felt self-sufficient._

Sarah closed her notebook and set it aside, on her bedside table. She pulled her comforter around her shoulders and settled into bed. Calling a familiar fantasy to mind – one where she walked through a winding maze, searching for something – she slowly drifted to sleep. She dreamed of the sun shining through thick trees and hedges.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting now because I had it ready & waiting, anyway :)

“I wrote down a few of those things you told me to – the empowering things.”

Tarryn looked up from the list that Sarah had handed her and into Sarah’s face. “These are great – if you don’t mind me asking, is there something special about the use of the number three? I'm seeing it a few times.”

Sarah leaned back in her chair, considering. She raised her eyebrows, “You know, I haven’t really thought about it much. I always just try to do and use things in multiples of three every day.” A pause. “I guess it’s a bit silly,” she laughed.

Tarryn smiled back and shook her head, “No, no – we all have little quirks. I wouldn’t say it’s silly. Have you always done this or is it recent?”

Sarah knew what Tarryn was getting at – was this connected to her assault? She jerked her chin, “No, I’ve done it as long as I can remember. My stepmother was – _is – _pretty superstitious herself. I guess that rubbed off on me.”

Tarryn nodded and moved on, “Let’s talk a bit more about Karen….”

Later that evening, Sarah considered her superstition – the preoccupation with the number three. She'd never examined it, much the same way she hadn’t examined her abilities. It was just something she _did_; to not do so would make her feel naked or exposed.

Tarryn sent her off from her appointment with the same homework, making a list of empowering daily things.

Sarah wanted to take her list a bit further – wouldn’t getting rid of her old habits, her silly superstitions empower her?

She decided to try a day without paying attention to the number three and see how she felt at the end. Maybe she wouldn’t even be able to do it. Tarryn hadn’t seemed concerned, hadn’t made Sarah’s habit seem a cause for concern, but she simply wanted to see if she _could_.

-

The next day, Sarah made it home with ingredients for eggplant parmesan and plans to go hiking the next weekend with Natalie.

As she began arranging things to cook, she stopped. She caught herself with two piles of ingredients, about to make a third. She split one of the piles in two and found herself with four – _a bad number_, she thought to herself – she split another pile in two, making five. _That works_.

She’d managed to go the day without feeding into her preoccupation with the number three – not without slip-ups and a fair amount of vigilance. She’d done it, though.

The initial anxiety had worn off and Sarah mainly just found herself trying to break the _habit. _It left her tired, which was why she’d had to turn down her coworkers when they’d asked her to get drinks that night.

She also had trouble staying focused whenever she saw them both – Ben and Colleen were PhD students at Northeastern and received most of their funding in the form of tax-free library jobs and teaching assistantships. Technically they were scholarships.

They were nice, and had interesting dissertation topics, but Sarah found it difficult staying engaged when they both tended to wax poetic about inter-departmental drama and the piles of books they had to read for their comps.

Sarah had thought about doing a PhD after she finished her MA, but ultimately decided against it.

Her Master’s thesis had mainly been about female backing singers for popular bands and artists in the 1950s and 60s.

She’d done five oral histories – talking to the women involved and asking them about their lives, how they’d felt about frequently receiving so little recognition, and what they thought of the famous men and bands they’d sang for – and the final product won her an award in her department.

Her supervising professor encouraged her to either publish it or use it as a stepping-stone for a doctoral dissertation, but Sarah felt that the topic was exhausted and nothing more really needed to be said.

She wasn’t passionate about it, didn’t really think she would want to expand it, and she knew that _passion _was at least one requirement for a successful PhD experience.

So, Sarah graduated and found herself applying for archivist and librarian jobs.

She had little experience with library science and the kind of technologies librarians were supposed to be able to use nowadays, but she knew her way around primary sources and microfilm readers.

She’d found the job at Northeastern three months after graduation and felt lucky to have received an offer a few days after interviewing. She’d worked for them a little over a year and focused on creating research guides for students and professors, all while helping to digitize some of the school’s own old records.

Now Sarah felt a familiar desire to move on and find something else to be passionate about. It was similar to the way she’d felt at the end of her Master’s – tired and slightly despondent, ready for another thing. Or maybe it just meant that something new was already on the horizon.

She’d gone to a psychic when she was 21 and about to graduate college – back when she’d still been in California. Her restlessness had been driving her crazy for weeks and her roommate, Laura, had taken them both to a strip mall in Santa Ana.

They’d had to wait in early morning drizzle for three hours, lining up behind a group of the shop’s devotees, until the store opened at 7am.

Sarah walked past chickens in cages and candles with pictures of Catholic saints on them until she’d sat down in front of an old woman wearing all white. The woman hadn’t spoken English, but Laura was the daughter of Cuban immigrants and had no trouble translating.

The woman in white said something sharply in Spanish and Laura leaned into Sarah, saying “She first wants you to know that you shouldn’t have worn black – sorry I didn’t warn you – and that you need to uncross your arms or she won’t be able to do an accurate reading.”

Sarah immediately uncrossed her arms and tried to relax, smiling nervously at the woman. She hadn’t smiled back. She pulled out a deck of cards but peered into Sarah’s face first. As she spoke, Laura kept translating.

“Nothing is closed to you, there are many open doors. You’ve experienced a great many losses during your life, and I don’t just mean people. You’re far from home.”

Sarah gave a wry smile and responded “Well, she’s got that right. The East Coast is far off from southern California. I guess that’s the point.”

Laura spoke to the woman and turned back to Sarah. “She said to pick five of these cards – whichever you feel drawn to.”

Sarah picked five cards at random. The woman spread them out on the table in front of them and began to tell Sarah about her past, present, and future. She looked at Sarah sharply and asked if she’d ever made a deal with the devil.

Sarah was taken aback and looked to Laura, who just shrugged. “No, I think I might remember that,” she said carefully.

“And yet you remember nothing,” the woman replied. Sarah, with so little knowledge of Spanish, had understood the general sentiment.

The woman told Sarah she was on the cusp of great change and a big move. Sarah had already accepted her offer to start her MA at Tufts, so she knew _that. _

She laughed, lightly but a bit derisively. The woman in white was not amused. She wrote out a “prescription” for Sarah, which Laura translated once they’d gone back to their apartment.

_ Follow your instincts _

_Never make a deal with a stranger_

_ Pray to Saint Anthony_

That had been almost five years ago, and Sarah still had that list, though she’d made fun of it at the time.

She looked at it when she felt restless or anxious, which was more often these days. Sarah hopped up to her window sill, balancing on her couch, and lit some incense. She jumped down and started to clean up from dinner. She felt accomplished and decided to add “_Avoided using the number three today_” on her list of empowering things.

-

On Thursday the following week, Sarah had a therapy appointment. She’d had to move it up one week because of a scheduling conflict on Tarryn’s part. She walked up and into the converted Victorian, wincing at the creaking floors – she didn’t like announcing her presence so loudly.

She let herself into Tarryn’s office and sat down. Tarryn walked in a minute later. “Sorry for making you wait – the guy downstairs had a question about the renovations they’re doing in here. As if I would know,” she rolled her eyes.

“Guy downstairs?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, did I tell you that we share this building with a couple other people? It makes for some obnoxiousness – I get locked in sometimes if they think everyone is gone when they leave. Or locked out if I go to my car when they’re on their way out. There’s a lady who works in publishing, I think she’s a literary agent. And this guy does something in consulting.”

“Consulting?” Sarah asked, eyebrows drawn. “What kind of consulting?”

“Hell if I know – but I’m sure it has to do with rich people because the guy dresses like he’s loaded. No brand names – not super tacky – but everything looks expensive in a nondescript way. You get the idea.”

Sarah laughed, “I do get the idea – I’d love to have the money to dress like that.”

“Same here,” Tarryn replied. “Okay, let’s talk about your week…”

-

Sarah walked down the stairs and out into the brisk October air – it was starting to get dark early. She heard someone clear their throat and turned to her right – it had come from a blond man in a navy suit and a camel-colored coat. She raised her eyebrows in appreciation she hoped wasn’t obvious – the guy was _hot. _And smiling.

“Just wanted to let you know I was standing here so I wouldn’t surprise you.”

Sarah gave a brief smile, “Oh – that’s thoughtful, thanks. You must share the building with Tarryn?” She hoped this guy was one of her officemates, anyway.

A sharp smile, “I do; I thought I’d locked up actually. I guess it’s good that I didn’t because Tarryn gets annoyed whenever we do that.” His eyes darted from Sarah’s face to the door behind her.

Sarah winced a bit, hoping he wouldn’t notice her discomfort. She laughed a bit tightly “That’s funny, Tarryn told me you guys had that issue. Sharing an office must come with a lot of fun problems.”

If he’d noticed her voice going up half an octave he didn’t show it. “It does, actually. But the problems seem like nothing when you have such delightful company,” he gave that sharp smile again.

Sarah laughed back, “I’ll bet. Well, it was nice to run into you…?” She trailed off.

“Jareth. Nice to run into you as well –”

“Sarah,” she provided.

“Nice to meet you Sarah,” he said casually. There was something in the way he said her name that jogged her memory; it gave her a sense of déjà vu. She mentally shook herself and walked down the porch stairs, giving Jareth a parting glance.

He glanced back and his eyes seemed cold.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of smut this chapter, fair warning.

Sarah trudged through the mess of rotting leaves and plant debris on the path, glad that she’d only worn a light fleece jacket now that she was sweating.

“Christ,” she muttered, pulling her hands over her head to breathe better. “You’re a slave driver, Natalie.”

Natalie laughed from a few yards ahead. “That’s why our relationship is mutually beneficial – I slave-drive and you teach me how to relax. Show me the finer things in life.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and smiled. “Tell me how your tutoring gig is going.”

Natalie paused and turned back to Sarah with a smile. She knew what she was doing – making conversation to buy time and catch her breath.

“It’s fine, but I might tell the kid’s mom I gotta quit. I don’t think she really wants me to teach him German – she has me play _soccer _with him and ask him questions.”

“Does he respond in German?” Sarah looked up.

“No! It’s ridiculous. I don’t even like soccer. And he doesn’t like German. It’s not worth twenty-five dollars an hour once a week.”

Sarah laughed and jogged up to Natalie. Her friend was German but had been in the U.S. for ten years – she also had an unmatched ability to find odd jobs and make money. Usually under the table.

In addition to her job as an editor, Natalie also walked dogs for two different families, nannied (sparingly – for business trips only) for a single mom, and had this job tutoring a twelve-year-old in German. Or maybe it was just babysitting.

“I’m sure you can get out of it easily – tell the lady that you’re swamped at work. Isn’t it almost your busy season anyway?”

Natalie nodded and stretched a bit, swinging her arms. “It will be – I have four deadlines coming up next month. I’ll tell her that and try to recommend someone else. Maybe someone who actually enjoys soccer.”

Sarah kicked at some of the leaves on the ground. “Why don’t you ask Dario? He seemed athletic. And enthusiastic.”

Natalie smiled wryly, “You know, he’d probably take it. He just wants to meet people and get out.”

Dario was another German who'd moved to the States in the past year. Sarah met him once and found him just this side of manic – the guy had unbearable amounts of energy and oozed positivity.

Sarah could only handle small doses of people like that. She and Natalie continued their hike – it was six miles through Blue Hills Reservation and pretty steep at certain parts. They both liked to make the trek once a year or so; now was probably the last time they’d be able to before the snow set in.

“C’mon, let’s finish this trail before 11. I want to get an almond croissant before the shop runs out.” Natalie started climbing the boulders to the top of the hill. Sarah took a sharp breath and scrambled after her.

-

The almond croissant was much better after hiking those 6 miles.

Sarah alternated between taking bites of the pastry and sipping at her latte. Natalie sat across from her with another almond croissant and a black coffee. Sarah hated drinking coffee black – it was too acidic for her – but the coffee at this café was beyond compare.

She and Natalie came here almost every week, sometimes with Sabine but usually without. Sabine was typically busy working part-time at a clothing store on the weekends, anyway.

Sarah was about to finish her croissant when blond hair caught her eye – it was Jareth from her therapist’s office. She jerked her head up, caught between the urge to hide and the urge to immediately say hello.

He looked good; he was wearing dark wash jeans and a collared shirt with the same camel coat from the other day. It made Sarah feel absolutely barbaric in her old exercise outfit. Natalie saw Sarah’s attention shift and turned around. Jareth saw both women looking at him and smiled, easy and charming.

“Sarah,” he called, “Good to see you again. And so soon.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

He made it sound as though the last time they’d met it had been under obscene circumstances. Sarah didn’t mind that too much – at least his tone implied she was getting laid. She smiled back and said “Good to see you too Jareth – I hope you don’t have to go into work today.”

He grabbed his coffee from the bar and walked closer a few paces. “Oh no, no. You’ve caught me on a day off, thankfully. I actually live just around the corner,” he jerked his head to the left.

Natalie caught Sarah’s eye and raised her eyebrows. Sarah looked back up at Jareth, “This is our favorite place to go on weekends – best pastries in Boston. This is my friend, Natalie. Natalie this is Jareth.”

Jareth shifted his coffee to his other hand and shook Natalie’s. “Nice to meet you Natalie. I guess I’ll need to try one of their pastries someday. I haven’t been in this city long, but I’m sure you’re right. Something tells me you have good taste.”

Natalie seemed dazzled. Sarah laughed, “I’m glad you have such confidence in me. I didn’t have to do much convincing.”

Jareth smirked and replied “Of course, I think you may be a very _persuasive _person. I have the upmost confidence in you.” He glanced outside, “I’m sure I’ll see you soon. It was nice meeting you, Natalie.” He nodded to both women and exited out the back.

Natalie was watching his retreating figure and tore her eyes back to Sarah. “Who in God’s name was that?”

Sarah snorted and said “_That _was a man who shares a building with my therapist. I met him last week. Does he seem familiar to you?”

Natalie paused and considered, “Only in a _he’s very good looking and could be a minor celebrity _way_. _Otherwise, no. He made it seem like you two knew each other really well, though.”

Sarah chuckled, “Yeah, I caught that. Dunno why he was so suggestive. We’ve only spoken once before this.”

“I was excited for you. I kinda thought it’d be nice for you to be with someone, after…” Natalie trailed off.

Sarah made a face. “Yeah, I think it’d be nice too, but we really have only met that one time. I barely know him. The dude could be crazy.”

Natalie laughed and said “That’s true. The hot ones are usually crazy.”

-

The air was warm and Sarah found herself in some kind of ballroom in a poufy white dress.

The thing was _heavy_; she felt her limbs weighed beneath the fabric – especially the huge white sleeves. She felt as though she should be looking for something – no, _someone. _She glanced around and saw decadently-dressed party-goers in masks.

She continued to walk through the crowd, which parted for her. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye – there was a man with blond hair…he looked familiar. _Is that Jareth? _He looked vaguely like Tarryn’s officemate, but it was hard to tell with the mask and the wild hairstyle.

He was gone before she could figure it out. Suddenly, in the way that dreams tended to defy logic, Sarah found herself in a bedroom.

It was palatial – there was silk and brocade and velvet everywhere. She jumped when she felt movement next to her, and realized she was wearing some kind of skimpy silk nightgown. She looked to her right and saw Jareth staring back at her, grinning. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. She tried not to stare too openly, but knew she’d failed when his grin widened.

“Hello, Precious.”

_Precious? He’s never called me that before._“Jareth,” she started slowly, “what are you doing here?”

“What am _I _doing _here_?” He laughed. “This is my bedroom, precious thing. I should probably be asking you that. And in such a delicious outfit.”

She looked around the room – it didn’t seem like it belonged in metropolitan Boston. Or the entirety of Massachusetts, for that matter. Or in this _century. _

_How the hell did I get here? _She looked back at Jareth, who still had that smile on his face, waiting. He was waiting for her to do something. She had the half-idea that this must be a dream, but she probably would have touched him regardless. She just wanted to touch him so _badly. _She reached out a hand, trailing her fingers up his chest, to his neck.

Jareth made a sound in the back of his throat, but kept still.

Sarah’s fingers continued up and she cupped his neck, scooting her body a bit closer to his. He closed his eyes and grabbed her hand, pulling her slightly closer. Sarah brushed her lips against his and sighed. Jareth made another sound – it sounded like a groan – and kissed her, catching her bottom lip between his teeth and tugging.

Sarah gasped and Jareth took advantage of the movement, slipping his tongue into her mouth and stroking. He rolled her underneath him and slipped a leg between hers. Sarah moaned and moved her hips, seeking friction. She realized the flimsy nightgown didn’t come with underwear. She didn’t care.

Jareth left her mouth and began trailing kisses down her jaw, to her neck. He slowly traced the lace at the bottom of her nightgown and began lifting it, giving Sarah time to yank it down and tell him to stop. She didn’t. He lifted it up until it was at her hips and he began lightly tracing his fingers where she wanted him. She was wet – she knew he could tell when he chuckled. “So wet for me already. Should I continue, precious?”

Sarah could barely concentrate on what he was saying. She was moving her hips in little circles, trying to grind against his fingers, his leg, anything. He held her hips in his other hand and took his fingers away, “Should I _continue, _Sarah? I won’t until you answer me.”

She felt like her body was on fire – she grabbed his hand and looked up at him “_Yes, _Jareth. Please feel _free _to continue.”

Jareth threw his head back and laughed, but brought his hand back to her center and continued to stroke. He went back to kissing her neck and slipped one of his fingers inside her, biting down on her neck when Sarah made an involuntary sound.

“I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so _long, _Sarah.” The heel of his palm was pressing on her clitoris, almost giving her what she needed to see stars. He must’ve known she needed more because he slipped in a second finger and moved his mouth so he was sucking on her breasts through the fabric of the nightgown. He pressed his palm down harder. Sarah felt that delicious sensation surging up and up, until –

Sarah woke up with a gasp, her hand between her legs and sweat beading on her chest, between her breasts, and down her back. She was so wet and aroused that it took less than a minute to finish herself off, biting back a scream of pleasure and frustration.

She had _never _had a sex dream that visceral. It was slightly disconcerting. She got up and walked into the bathroom to wet a washcloth and run it down her sweat-soaked skin. Flipping on the light, she looked in the mirror and brought her hand to her neck.

It was red, like someone had bitten it.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah took the mug out of the office microwave and tested the temperature – screamingly hot. Just how she liked it. She shut the microwave door, wincing at how dirty the inside was, and walked back to her desk.

It was 11am and Sarah was on her third cup of coffee that day.

She’d had trouble falling back asleep after her _interesting _dream the night before. Running on three hours of sleep was not a great look for her.

Plus she had a freaking _bite _on her neck, as if she’d been seventeen and making out with her first boyfriend. She'd spent about an hour internally panicking about the bite before lighting incense and making a cup of ginger tea. She’d calmed down, marginally. Maybe it was from a spider – they were everywhere at the moment.

Her apartment was full of them, but that thought didn’t comfort her.

_It was probably just a disgusting bug. You got a bug bite, _she half-chanted to herself.

In the morning Sarah had thrown on a scarf (it was October – it seemed normal) and called it a day.

She had plans to meet Sabine for lunch at 12:30 and knew she’d pick up on the scarf – it was one Sabine had gifted her for Christmas last year – and Sarah never wore it.

She wasn’t looking forward to _that._

Sarah adjusted the bracelet on her wrist -- another gift from Sabine -- and went back to answering an email from some undergraduate student working on his first research paper.

He’d emailed the night before, to ask about an appointment that morning, for a paper due in two days.

_Typical, _Sarah thought with a small smirk. She’d tell Sabine about his email – she knew she would get a kick out of it.

Sabine was currently working as a postdoc at Northeastern and had to teach two undergraduate classes that semester, in addition to working on her second book. She dealt with undergraduate panic weekly, if not daily.

Sarah wrote back to the student apologetically, asking if he could meet that afternoon to discuss sources for his paper. Otherwise, she could send along some sources he might find helpful and help with finding secondary literature. He replied almost immediately, writing that he could meet at 2pm. _Looking forward to it, _she wrote back.

Sabine was wearing a trench coat and an emerald green sweater dress. Her black hair was held back with some kind of ornamental headband and she looked _way _too good to be working in academia. Or at least in the history department. Or working at all.

Sarah thought Sabine belonged in fashion or doing something that required travel and glamorous dinners on yachts. She had told Sabine that, one night when she’d had a few drinks and hoped she hadn’t offended her, but Sabine had laughed and said _But I _do _get to travel and have glamorous dinners. They just involve smart, odd people instead of sartorially creative, odd people. _Sarah supposed she was right.

Sabine often traveled for research and had lived in four different countries. She had money problems – Sarah wasn’t sure about the details, but Sabine worked at some expensive clothing boutique on the weekends to make up for her salary at Northeastern. It meant that she got discounts on clothes she’d buy regardless, or so Sabine said. It also meant she had _very _little free time, and Sarah wasn’t sure if she slept. Her makeup was so good that it didn’t matter, anyway.

Sabine smiled her megawatt smile and gestured for Sarah to sit down across from her.

She pulled two packaged salads from her bag and handed one to Sarah, “I got you the quinoa power bowl – you like that one, right? And one of those little to-go packets of salt, to feed your addiction. Also, tell me why you decided to wear my scarf and _don’t _lie. I’ll know. You either did something that made you feel guilty enough to finally wear my gift,” Sabine placed her hand on her chest in a mock dramatic gesture, “Or you got a hickey. Which would be hil-ar-ious.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and pulled up a corner of her mouth in a half-smirk. “Hello Sab. Yes, the power bowl is great – thank you – and no, I didn’t do anything to make myself feel guilty. I just woke up this morning and thought I’d finally gotten to a place in my life where I could emulate you and your couture fashion sense. I think you should celebrate this step with me.” 

Sarah didn’t address the salt comment – she used a lot of salt in her own cooking and around the house – but that was more a force of habit than something she did for taste.

Sabine lifted a brow and made a face that said _I don’t believe you but I realize that you’re trying to avoid the question. _“Fine, I find your willingness to emulate my clothing choices absolutely _riveting. _Maybe you should come into my store this weekend and let me style you.”

That was a bluff – they both knew it. Sarah liked nice clothing, but Sabine and her clothing store were on the verge of evening wear, and Sarah wore denim too much to convert fully.

Sarah raised both her eyebrows, “Maybe – I guess I’ll see what I have going on.”

Sabine laughed, “Okay, sure. Since we’re both in such celebratory moods today, I’m going to show you something that I have been working on for _ages. _I’m really excited about it.”

“Show me – is this for your book?”

“_God, _no. This is way more exciting. It’s my Halloween playlist.”

Sarah paused with a forkful of greens and quinoa halfway to her mouth. She set the fork down. “Halloween playlist,” she began.

“Yes! Have a look – give me suggestions if you see a glaring omission.” Sabine was practically clapping her hands.

Sarah took the phone that Sabine had handed her and scrolled through the list of songs. “Grateful Dead…?” Sarah raised an eyebrow – she didn’t think that was Sabine’s thing.

“Yes – Shakedown Street. There’s nothing really thematically scary about it, but I think it sounds a bit spooky. Same with St. James Infirmary, I guess. Oh, have you heard the Cab Calloway version? I was going to use that, but then I saw that White Stripes had done a cover. It’s perfect!” She squealed.

Sarah laughed in spite of herself – Sabine was all over the place, but never dull. “It looks great to me, Sab. Does this mean you’re hosting a Halloween party again?”

“Of course. When else am I going to force people to listen to Oingo Boingo and dress up for my amusement? You’re coming, obviously. And bring that hot guy that Natalie said she met last weekend,” Sabine added casually. She took a bite of her salad.

Sarah raised her eyes up to the ceiling. “I didn’t know he’d made such an impression on her. I can put in a good word if she wants me to.”

Sabine barked out a laugh, “Shut up – you know she wants him for _you. _I do too – she made him sound sexy as hell.”

“He is – but I barely know him. Or how to get in contact with him. He just shares office space with my therapist and Natalie and I happened to run into him after our hike.”

Sabine took another bite of her salad. “Something tells me that you’ll see him again. And then you can invite him.”

-

Sarah got back to her desk at 1:30 and started writing down databases the undergraduate student could use for his research. Five minutes later, she heard a pair of footsteps outside her door and looked up.

“Uhhh, hi. Are you Sarah Williams? I booked an appointment with you to talk about my research paper.”

Sarah mentally rolled her eyes and forced a smile on her face. It wasn’t a huge deal that the kid had come almost thirty minutes early, but she found herself annoyed nonetheless. Maybe it was the lack of sleep.

“Sure, come on in. It’s Rob, right?”

“Yeah, thanks. I’m just really stressed about this paper and the library database seems impossible,” he looked like he was trying to give puppy dog eyes, or maybe some kind of charming smile, but it didn’t come off right.

Sarah forced a laugh, “Not impossible, I hope. I started writing down some different scholarly databases and journals for you to check, so I’ll give you that,” she handed him the paper – he barely looked at it.

“Yeah, okay. Do you know Professor Dupont? You two look like sisters,” he was talking about Sabine and Sarah felt a measure of amusement at that. They often got asked if they were related, but Sabine’s natural hair color was a dirty blonde. She dyed it to look more “interesting,” or so she put it.

“I do know Sa – Professor Dupont and no, we aren’t related. Is she the Professor for this class you’re researching for?”

“Yeah, maybe you could put in a good word for me? Or help me with some of the writing. I know nothing about this Japanese history stuff.” He tried that sickly smile again. Sarah found herself getting annoyed.

“I can’t help you with your writing and I won’t discuss you with Professor Dupont, but I can give you some resources on the…it’s the Meiji Restoration that your class is on, right? I have a couple of authors here that wrote really foundational books –”

“That’s okay,” Rob cut her off and got closer to her – too close. He put his hand on her arm, making her feel queasy. Sarah also began to feel enraged. Without thinking about it, she fixed her eyes on him and said, “Get your hand off of me and scoot back.”

Rob’s eyes glazed over and he immediately did as Sarah asked. “Yeah of course.”

Sarah was still mad and wanted something to do, some way to lash out. “You’re going to apologize and leave my office. You’re never going to touch a woman without her permission again. You’re also going to write this paper _yourself _and not try to get out of it by cheating.”

She could see Rob struggling, his eyes still glazed. “I’m sorry, Sarah. Have a nice day.” He said vaguely. He got up and left her office without looking back.

Sarah let out a breath and closed her eyes. She _hated _using her weird persuasion on people, but she hated creeps more. And this kid was only 19. _I wonder who else he’s tried this on_. She decided to tell Sabine about him, but sparingly.

If Sabine knew what a creep he’d been, she’d flip out and get him expelled. Sarah didn’t think she wanted to be responsible for that outcome. She shut off her computer and got up to head to the special collections room – no one would bother her there.

-

Sarah found herself in a huge room with a throne – Jareth was seated on it, speaking to someone heatedly. Both were wearing what looked like costumes, and Jareth’s hair was wild again, if slightly less wild than it had been in the ballroom.

“It won’t open, Your Majesty, and the ceremony is only two months away.”

Jareth lifted his chin and replied, “I’m working on that – just keep making plans and continue to act as though nothing is amiss. Can you do that for me, Thale?”

Thale seemed to nod reluctantly, “Yes, Your Majesty, I can. You do know that the –” he was cut off when he saw Jareth’s face had turned to Sarah. They’d both noticed her. Sarah didn’t have a chance to panic before Jareth opened his mouth and said –

“My, my, Sarah. Back so soon. And under much less pleasurable circumstances. We’ll have to meet again and chat, but right now isn’t the time.” He smirked and stood up, “Sweet dreams, Precious.”

Sarah didn’t have a chance to reply before she felt herself falling. She woke up in her bed and checked her phone – it was just after 4am.

She tried to fall back asleep but couldn’t. At 4:30, she lit some incense and checked the box – _almost out,_she thought to herself. She made a mental note to head to the new-age, witchy store next week and buy more. She got back into bed and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, comments, and kudos are appreciated :)
> 
> Thale is pronounced like "Tell"
> 
> No offense intended towards academics -- I'm in academia myself, ha


	5. Chapter 5

Sarah felt better the next day – she’d gotten at least six hours of sleep – but she was still a bit disturbed by her recent dreams.

They seemed so _real. _It was disconcerting, and she felt like a weirdo for dreaming about Jareth more than once. Mostly because she had just met him and had barely ever spoken to him, even _if _he happened to be strangely familiar to her.

She was still figuring out why, but didn’t have any satisfying answers. She wasn’t sure she wanted answers.

Despite her dream and trouble getting back to sleep, she’d woken up a half-hour early. Getting ready in record time, she glanced at her phone and saw that she had enough time to stop by her favorite coffee shop and pick up a latte and a pastry before work.

Today she was going to be helping Colleen finish up digitizing Northeastern’s 1970s collection of records and putting them up for access on the university website. Not only would she have to really concentrate on the more technical aspects of the job, she’d also inevitably have to hear about the open mic night that Ben and Colleen were putting together at the lounge their friend owned.

It was this coming Friday, and Sarah had so-far avoided saying yes or no to their invitation.

It wasn’t that Sarah didn’t like Colleen and Ben – she just could really only handle them at work. Seeing them more than that tended to exhaust her.

She might be more enthused about the open mic if she had someone else to go with, but she knew Sabine would be busy and Natalie definitely had a date. She had been seeing one guy consistently since early September, and Sarah was sure she’d be introducing him to her friends soon.

She thought about how to get out of Friday’s event as she pushed into the coffee shop and ordered her usual. While she waited for her drink, she decided to duck into the restroom to make sure her makeup wasn’t completely smudged or applied incorrectly – she’d left her apartment too quickly to check. When she came out, she heard a familiar voice.

“You do know that door is always locked – you need to use a key from the baristas, I believe.”

Sarah turned to Jareth and widened her eyes, at a loss for words. Her mind almost immediately went to the dreams she’d been having about him, mostly the very _erotic _dream she’d cooked up the other night. _Christ, I’m creepy, _she fretted internally. She opened her mouth before she was able to formulate an explanation that made any sense, “I – I, ah – ” 

Jareth saved her with, “I suppose that’s a fun magic trick,” he smiled widely and looked at her expectantly, as if daring her to deny it with something else. As if any other explanation wouldn’t make her seem insane.

Sarah let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Yeah, it’s pretty fun,” she responded, “don’t you have any magic tricks?” She hoped she sounded casual and flirty rather than as flustered as she _really _felt.

“I do, actually,” he replied smoothly. He stepped closer, “Look here,” he gestured to his watch but didn’t touch it.

The long hand moved and time jumped forward an hour, three, and then stopped completely. Then, as quickly as the hand had moved forward, it moved back three hours, to the correct time. Sarah looked up at Jareth who had a glint in his eyes.

“How did you do that?” Sarah asked before she could stop herself.

Jareth’s smile widened – “Trade secrets, my dear. I’ll try to stop myself from asking about your little door-opening trick. For _now,_” he teased.

Sarah chuckled, “Fair enough…” she trailed off. A thought came to mind and she spoke before she could really think about it “Do you want to go to an open mic night on Friday?” She blurted.

She was semi-horrified that she’d asked him out _and _potentially subjected him to a grad student-organized open mic, but Jareth just raised both his eyebrows and seemed to consider the invitation seriously before replying.

“I’m not sure that I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending an open mic night, but I’d be more than happy to accompany you. What does it entail?” He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Sarah laughed self-consciously before explaining, “It’s an event where singers, musicians, poets, whatever, can sign up and perform in front of a crowd. They’re usually not professional and it’s a pretty casual atmosphere.” _He’s really never heard of an open mic?_

Jareth looked sidelong at Sarah before asking, “And will you be performing?”

“Oh no, definitely not. I haven’t performed for people since…” she had trouble finishing the thought. She’d done theater when she was younger, right? She’d acted somehow; she’d wanted to be like her mother, Linda. “…since I was much younger,” she finished.

Jareth was staring at her intensely. It was beginning to make Sarah shift uncomfortably before he said “Well, maybe I can convince you to go up there and do a little something for my entertainment,” he winked. Actually _winked. _“That sounds…good, though. Where is this being held and what time?”

Sarah gave him the details and they decided to meet thirty minutes before the show to get drinks and find seats.

They went their separate ways and Sarah continued on her commute to work, strangely with time to spare. It had seemed as though her conversation with Jareth would make her a little late. She mentally shrugged and let herself feel excitement at having someone to endure the open mic with and going out with Jareth. She hadn’t been excited about a potential date in a long time.

-

It was Thursday evening, and Sarah walked outside the subway stop and towards a small home on the outskirts of the city, near the suburbs. She was meeting a friend named Gloria Wynn at 6 – it was about 5:50.

Gloria was an elderly woman that Sarah had gotten to know when she’d interviewed backup singers for her thesis in her Master’s program. They’d gotten close and still met for dinner at Gloria’s home about twice a year or so. Gloria was almost eighty years old and had done backing vocals for groups ranging from the Turtles to the Rolling Stones.

She’d gotten credited just twice, and paid pennies compared to the millions of dollars the records had generated. Sarah liked her and liked to hear her gossip about the music industry of the 50s, 60s, and 70s even more. Plus, Gloria was an amazing cook.

Sarah walked up the rickety wooden porch steps and let herself into Gloria’s home. “Gloria? I’m here!” She called out. She could hear pans and clanging from the kitchen, and smelled spices and cooking meat.

“Hello dear! Come on in and sit down,” Gloria yelled back. She came out of the kitchen a moment later, carrying a pot of jambalaya, hot and fragrant. She set that down on the table and held out her hands for Sarah to pass her the bottle of wine she’d remembered to bring. She went back to the kitchen to open it and came back with two wine glasses.

She sat down with Sarah and waved her hands in a welcoming gesture, telling her to dig in. Sarah half-rose from her chair to serve herself and fix a plate for Gloria as well.

“You’ve had that bracelet for quite some time,” Gloria observed, nodding to the silver cuff that Sabine had given her for her birthday.

“Oh yes, a friend of mine gave it to me. I hardly wear jewelry, but I make an effort to put this on every day.” Sarah adjusted the bracelet so the small red stones, set in groups of three, showed on the right side. She sat back down.

Gloria got up from her chair and went to her bookshelf, pulling down a small box. She shuffled back over to where Sarah sat. She gently pushed the box towards Sarah and said, “Now, this isn’t to insult _that _bracelet that you’ve been wearing. But I saw you wearing it and thought this one might suit you more.”

Sarah raised her brows and opened the box. A cuff of a similar style was in the box, with some darker engraving and green stones instead of red. They were set in a flowing pattern. It was beautiful. Sarah looked at Gloria, “It’s gorgeous, but I can’t accept something like this.”

Gloria smiled and shook her head, “Now, now Sarah. I’m going to have to _insist _that you take this bracelet and wear it. I’ve had it for some time and I know that it suits you much better than it would ever suit me. It’s a small gift; something to thank you for keeping me company the past two years. I’ll be quite put out if you don’t wear it,” she said with a small wink.

Sarah took the bracelet out of its box and slipped it on. She held out her wrist and Gloria made a noise of appreciation. They went back to their dinner and Sarah put her old bracelet in the box that Gloria had given her.

-

It was Friday night, and Sarah had nothing to wear. She’d spent the better part of an hour taking out almost everything in her closet and throwing it onto her bed. She’d tried a few sweater-and-jeans combos, but that seemed too casual. Then she’d put on a few dresses, but those were too formal.

She blew air out of her nose in frustration, annoyed at herself. She was overthinking this. _But Jareth always dresses so well_, she thought to herself. _Yet this is a freaking graduate student open mic night_, another voice added. She looked into her closet again and her eyes found a grey wrap dress made from a stretchy, sweater-like material. _That could work. _She tried it on with sheer black tights and looked at herself appreciatively.

_That definitely works. _She pulled on black boots, grabbed her new bracelet from the mantle, and put on her trench and got ready to leave. As she turned, her elbow hit the countertop and knocked one of her salt shakers to the ground. _Damn, _she thought. Picking the shaker up, she poured a bit into her right hand and threw it over her left shoulder. She jumped up and ran out the door.

Jareth was waiting for her outside the venue and he did indeed dress well. His coat was a dark grey and he’d worn a cream cable-knit sweater with wool trousers. Sarah walked up to him and lightly bumped his shoulder with her own. He smiled down at her, “Good evening, Sarah. I’ve heard some delightful sounds coming from this theater.”

Sarah laughed and led him into the lounge. “Those sounds’ll only get better as the night progresses. Let’s grab a drink so we can handle it a bit better.”

They ordered drinks; a vodka soda for Sarah and a gin and tonic for Jareth. They sat down towards the front of the small, makeshift stage.

Three people performed first, singing an original song that sounded like a Bob Dylan rip-off. The next person read out poetry that Sarah enjoyed. The third was Ben on his guitar, singing a song that Sarah had heard more than once. Colleen did a strangely-good Prince cover on her violin.

During a lull in the acts, Jareth turned suddenly to Sarah and said, “You know, I have a feeling that you could sing much better than these…people.”

Sarah laughed, “And _how _would you know that? You’ve never heard me come close to singing.”

Jareth grinned. “Well, I’m not sure it would be much of a stretch for _anyone _to sing better than these performers – not to discount the, _I’m sure_, very lovely singing voice that you possess. Plus, somehow you strike me as…a performer.”

Sarah found his eyes mesmerizing. Was one darker than the other? She had to blink twice before she responded, “Fine. Suppose I go up there and decide to sing a song. You would need to accompany me. You play an instrument, don’t you?” She wasn’t sure that he did, but she’d die before she went up there alone.

Jareth laughed, “Of course I do, Sarah. What would you have me play? Guitar, piano? I am your willing slave.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. _Was this really happening? _She was terrified but somehow she felt…uninhibited. It wasn’t the vodka soda – she wasn’t that much of a lightweight.

She ignored the warning voice in her head and got closer to Jareth. She whispered in his ear to ask if he knew the song she had in mind. He did.

Sarah walked over to Ben to ask about a last-minute sign-up while Jareth asked one of the guys from earlier to borrow his guitar. She had only _suggested _that Ben let them go next, but he nodded eagerly and told her to go ahead, right now. Sarah widened her eyes and looked back at Jareth, who was laughing with some of the performers from earlier and holding the guitar.

There was a strange energy in the room; the air was thick and Sarah looked at the crowd’s faces. They seemed…almost ecstatic. She strode up the stage, Jareth right behind her.

Sarah walked to the mic and Jareth sat on a chair to her left, strumming the guitar. People in the audience were smiling and the energy was slightly manic. Part of Sarah felt scared, but the other part of her wanted to unleash all the excess that she knew she had welling within her; a vitality that she had possessed for a long time but had never been able to release until now.

Jareth plucked the opening notes to Sugar on My Tongue by Talking Heads.

It was hypnotizing, and Sarah was about to forget to begin singing, but she came in at the precise moment she needed to. Along with the singing, she began to move her body in a swaying motion that seemed right for the music. People responded instantly, standing and swaying with her. Their faces had glazed looks, much like the bus driver’s and Rob’s had, when Sarah had persuaded them to bend to her will.

_Sweet sweet – lover lover. Never never never find another,_

_To put sugar on my tongue._

Sarah continued to sing and spared a glance half-behind her at Jareth. His eyes were alight, and he seemed fully engaged with the audience, not looking at his hands or the guitar at all. His eyes met Sarah’s, and she felt a furious sort of joy and delight. She wanted to sing and dance _forever. _It felt so good, and everyone _loved _her.

As she neared the end of the song, the music and the murmur from the crowd hit a crescendo. For a moment, it was almost as if things were going to turn violent. Peoples’ faces held smiles that had become grimaces and scowls; their waving hands began to curl into fists. Sarah’s alarm punched through her haze and she turned a frightened glance Jareth’s way. He saw her and jerked his head to the audience, a furrow forming on his brow and a frown pulling on his mouth as if he were concentrating.

As Sarah sang the last notes, and Jareth played the last measure, people had started to calm down. By the song’s end, a few audience members looked around, as if they didn’t know why they were standing.

Sarah put the mic back on its stand and looked out at the crowd. They paused for a moment but slowly began to clap. A few cheers rose up, along with a whistle. Sarah smiled and sighed out in relief. Jareth came up behind her; he placed a hand on her back. It felt like a brand, and Sarah looked up at him. He looked back and seemed…triumphant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up -- Sarah & co. may or may not be going Underground....
> 
> They will definitely be attending Sabine's Halloween party. 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah was sorting through her purse near the subway entrance. As she put away her transportation pass, a few of the salt packets that Sabine was always _jokingly _giving her fell out and onto the sidewalk. Sarah rolled her eyes and bent to pick them up when she saw Jareth’s shoes enter her line of vision.

“That’s quite a bit of salt, I think.”

Sarah smiled sheepishly. It had been almost two weeks since their outing to Ben and Colleen’s open mic, and Sarah had invited him to Sabine’s party a few days ago.

He’d accepted immediately, and Sarah was anxious about introducing him to her friends, especially since she wasn’t sure about where they stood romantically. He’d kept his hand on her back for most of the night after their impromptu performance, and he’d seemed like he wanted to kiss her before they parted ways, but hadn’t.

The energy in the room had made everything feel amplified, including the physical sensations of being near him, so Sarah had been slightly disappointed when he’d brushed her cheek and simply ran his fingers through a strand of her hair as a way of saying goodbye.

Maybe that had been a blessing in disguise, though. Sarah was attracted to him, yet she wasn’t completely sure if she was ready for anything very physical after what had happened in the summer. Plus, there were times that he seemed…off.

She couldn’t explain it other than that there must be another side to him that she hadn’t seen yet. She resolved to just play it by ear and not worry about it. For now.

She picked up the packets of salt and threw them away in a trashcan nearby. “My friends and I have a bit of an in-joke about me and salt. They like to make fun of me by stuffing my purse with the to-go packets when we go out to eat.”

Jareth raised a brow, “I’ll have to hear more about that tonight when I meet them, I suppose.”

Jareth and Sarah made their way up the stairs to Sabine’s apartment. It was situated near Northeastern, off of Warwick, and had two bedrooms. Sabine often hosted parties and usually went all-out for decorations, especially for Halloween.

This was only the second time she’d really been alone with him, but Sarah could feel an odd sort of energy coming off of Jareth in waves.

It wasn’t exactly like the energy at the open mic; it was similar yet more subdued. They hadn’t really spoken about what had happened that night, and Sarah had chalked it up to the alcohol and stage fright. She could have been imagining that…_fantastic _energy in the room.

She couldn’t remember ever having felt so much happiness and fear in her life. It was like a drug, and it had left her feeling shaky and despondent once she’d gotten home.

Despite her willingness to explain and rationalize, she still felt…uneasy.

There was a sense of foreboding; she’d felt it all week and tonight it seemed amplified. She’d refrained from asking Jareth if something was wrong, not wanting to sound overly-anxious or to make an off situation worse.

_He _didn’t seem anxious; he was practically _beaming _as they walked closer. Sarah kept sneaking small glances his way and he continued to have a faint smile upon his face. Or a smirk. It was hard to tell with Jareth. She knew she had some aspects of an avoidant personality – her therapist agreed – but, in this situation, she was both confused _and _afraid to ask questions. It was a potent mix.

Sarah adjusted her new bracelet and her wings, glad that she’d worn a long-sleeved leotard with her costume. She’d decided to dress up as a raven. Sabine had suggested the Morrigan, a goddess, but Sarah felt fine as a simple raven.

She’d loosely curled her hair so it fell down her back in waves and went much heavier on the eye makeup than she usually did. She’d stolen a burgundy-red lipstick from Sabine to finish the look. She had a swishy black mini-skirt over the leotard and black heels. It was freezing.

Jareth was wearing some sort of owl mask taken from a Venetian ball. He’d paired it with a black sportscoat that had feathers attached and silver embroidery. It would certainly put most of the other guests’ costumes to shame, Sarah thought.

They could hear Dead Man’s Party playing from Sabine’s apartment and Sarah gave a little smile. She didn’t bother knocking, but gave a quick glance to Jareth before walking inside. His eyes were practically glowing behind the mask and his smile was sharper than usual. _Am I imagining things? _Sarah resolved to keep her wits about her at the party and walked over the threshold.

The party was in full swing, and Sarah could see several of her immediate and mutual friends chatting and drinking. True to form, Sabine decorated…_intensely. _

There were small lights all over her space, vines and orange flowers that could have been real or fake, carved pumpkins, and fake spiderwebs. She also had what looked like a fake bonfire in the middle of her living room, with paper flames licking up to the ceiling. Natalie was in the kitchen arranging a plate of appetizers with Grant, the guy she’d been seeing recently.

Sabine was nowhere to be seen, but Sarah knew her costume would probably outshine everyone else’s – even Jareth’s.

Sarah led Jareth over to the speakers where Sabine had set aside some chairs and her bar cart. Dario, Natalie’s other German friend, was pouring a drink nearby.

Sarah had decided to forgo alcohol, not wanting to risk a repeat of the open mic. In the back of her mind, she knew it hadn’t been her single drink that had contributed to the crowd’s odd behavior, yet she didn’t have any other explanation.

She just knew what had happened wasn’t _normal. _She poured herself a coke and was about to ask Jareth what he wanted. As she opened her mouth, Dario spotted them.

“Sarah! And you brought a friend! How are you both? What’ve you been up to? _Great _costumes.” He practically filled the living room with his exuberance, like a large German puppy. In fact, it seemed her was dressed as a puppy, with dog ears and a nose drawn with what looked to be eyeliner.

Sarah winced and looked at Jareth, who seemed a bit perturbed. “Hi Dario – this is Jareth. Jareth, Dario.” She gestured between them and watched Dario go in for an enthusiastic handshake.

“Great to meet you, man,” Dario said, shaking Jareth’s hand a few beats longer than necessary. He clapped him on the back with his other hand.

“Likewise,” Jareth replied, pointedly letting go of Dario’s hand. Dario was undeterred.

“So, where are you from?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Jareth said steadily.

Dario looked slightly uncomfortable and rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s just that you don’t seem…American…and the accent and all,” he finished lamely.

“I’m most certainly _not _American.” Jareth said. He looked as though he were about to say something else.

Sarah cut in before things got worse, “Dario, how’d you decide on that costume? The ears look great,” she was smiling so wide her cheeks hurt.

Dario looked warily at Jareth and then back to Sarah. “Yeah, I actually didn’t have a costume figured out at _all _and I texted Natalie about it last night. Did you know she also got me a job tutoring this kid in German? I get to play soccer with him – it’s awesome. Anyway, she told me to come to Sabine’s early tonight and they had the ears waiting for me. Sabine drew the nose,” he pointed to his face for emphasis.

Sarah nodded and began scrambling for something else to say when they were saved by a whoop of excitement from the kitchen.

Sabine emerged from wherever she had been and she was indeed wearing the most elaborate costume at the party. She looked like either Poison Ivy from Batman or some kind of forest sprite. She had delicate vines cutting across her entire body, over a skin-tight green mini dress made from a shimmery fabric, green strappy heeled sandals, and a delicate mask covered in ivy and small red flowers. Her lips were stained a wine-red.

She was glowing. Yet when she spotted Sarah and Jareth from across the room, her face paled visibly. Her mouth opened but she seemed unable to find words.

Dario and Sarah noticed her distress and looked to one another. When Sarah looked at Jareth, she realized that Sabine and Jareth were looking at each other with very different reactions – fear for Sabine and satisfaction on Jareth’s part, like a bet had been placed and won.

Sarah felt her unease amplify and things began to fall into place for her. She could feel a warning bell ringing out _danger, danger, danger _in her head. This wasn’t right. Before she could do or say anything, everything started to slow down yet speed up at the same time. The air in the room turned heavy. She felt similarly to how she’d felt at the open mic, but it was worse. She couldn’t think clearly, just observe.

Jareth was smiling wolfishly and raised his eyebrows in challenge.

“Sabine, darling, it’s been so long.”

Sabine had found her voice but she still seemed shaken, “Jareth,” she said slowly. “How did you get here?” She looked at Sarah quickly and then shifted her attention back to Jareth; prey keeping eyes on a predator.

“I was invited by Sarah, my dear.” Horrified understanding dawned on Sabine’s face.

Jareth continued, “Once we’d done away with all that nonsense meant to keep me out, it was quite easy to get into contact with Sarah and cross your threshold. Little things, but I’m sure you knew that together they became quite powerful. I felt your wards, faintly, but you really should have upped your security on a night like this. Samhain can turn out all sorts of nasty creatures,” he crooned.

Sabine crossed her arms and scowled, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Ja –”

Jareth cut her off, “I was surprised to see that it was _you _living here, though I had my suspicions. I’m sure Enze will be most happy to have you home,” he continued.

Sarah was watching the exchange, confused and frightened, but distracted by the sudden silence of the party. It was as though time had stopped – her friends were motionless but the music continued, muffled, as though they were in a bubble.

Natalie was next to Grant, halfway turned around yet still; she was frozen in motion. Sarah felt her own senses were muffled; it was more difficult to react and move. She wanted to scream and yell and run but she couldn’t. It was as though one part of her mind was absorbing everything happening but she wasn’t able to do anything about it.

Sabine didn’t answer but half-turned to Sarah, “Sarah, honey, run right now and don’t look back.” Her eyes shifted to Sarah’s new bracelet and widened; she turned back to Jareth and squared her shoulders. “Enze will not be happy to have me home because I won’t be _going _home. Please, Jareth, just leave me and Sarah alone. If you ever had any affection for me, or for Sarah, leave us both and forget about her. There are other _ways –”_

Jareth cut her off again with a snarl, “You will both be coming back with me tonight, _now_, and there is nothing you can do in your weakened state. You wouldn’t have been a match for me even if you’d been at full power, Sabine.” He took off his owl mask and seemed to draw himself up. He grabbed Sarah’s left wrist and made a move towards Sabine.

Before he could do anything, Sabine crossed the floor by two steps and wrenched Gloria’s bracelet from Sarah’s wrist, throwing it to the side until it seemed to disappear into ether.

Jareth laughed and then grabbed Sabine. She screamed. They all disappeared into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose this is where we get into the second part of this story. Thanks to anyone following along :)


	7. Chapter 7

It was like swimming to the surface of a deep pool – a deep pool that you’d been under for _years. _Sarah woke up gasping and still screaming, her voice hoarse with it.

She remembered everything.

She remembered running his labyrinth, she remembered wishing away _Toby, _she remembered Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus – she remembered the Cleaners. She remembered being fifteen and being fiery and rude and tenacious. He’d taken it all from her.

She remembered the Goblin King.

She wanted to kill him. She _would _kill him, once she figured out what the hell he wanted from her.

And Sabine…she cringed at the jealousy that hit her even as she felt blinding rage at the Goblin King’s betrayal. _Did Sabine say something about him having affection for her? _She pushed that thought away, forcefully. _What a stupid thing to think about. _

She needed a game-plan on how to get back home. She forced herself to concentrate.

Sarah looked around – she was in a small sitting room, laying on a velvet couch. The light was dim, and she could see brighter light shining underneath the door adjacent to her. As she started to focus and gain a sense of her surroundings, she heard voices outside. Angry voices.

One was definitely Sabine’s voice. The other, it seemed, was Jareth’s.

Sarah got up from the couch; she was still wearing her _ridiculous _Halloween costume. She shucked off the wings violently and strode to the door. Before she opened it, she stopped herself. She listened to the voices on the other side.

“What do you want from her, _precisely? _And how do you even know she can _accomplish _what you need her to before Midwinter?”

“You knew about her abilities, you must have known, but it seems that you were content to let her _languish _in the human realm. She was half-dazed! Not to mention _completely _ignorant to the truth of her powers.”

Sabine seemed to growl when she responded, “It was to protect her! From you! And from this _place _and these awful people. Don’t pretend as though you brought her here out of a sense of goodwill. Out of any type of _care. _You knew that she possessed abilities you needed and you _wanted _her. You always have.”

Jareth was silent at that. After a beat, Sarah heard him answer, quietly, “Things are more complicated than that, Sabine. I know you know this. There are risks –”

Sabine didn’t wait for him to finish. “You sound exactly like my _brother_. I’ve known you for centuries, Jareth, and I’ve never known you to play by his rules. Or my father’s. No matter what was at stake.”

Jareth now had a condescending tone that Sarah recognized meant he was feeling cornered and defensive. “Things are quite different than when you left us, Sabine dear. I wouldn’t expect you to grasp the realm’s political intricacies at the moment.”

Sabine spoke as if Jareth hadn’t said anything, “If she is hurt by _anyone _in your court or by your overgrown maze, I will work so hard to bring about your downfall that Enze and every other monarch in this realm will appear absolutely childlike.”

Before Jareth could respond, Sarah opened the door and walked into the larger room.

Both turned to look at her; Sabine looked like a deer in headlights and Jareth’s face was unreadable. His eyes narrowed and he took stock of her leotard, her black skirt, her heels, and her hair that – she was sure – looked like a bird’s nest.

“I think it might be more productive if you discussed me in _front _of me.” Sarah began. Sabine and Jareth looked as though they were going to speak, but Sarah cut them off. “I would like to know why I’m here and why I had _years _of my life taken from me,” her voice cracked on the last word. She took a deep breath, “and why I can do…the things that I do.”

Sabine stepped towards Sarah with a placating look. “Sarah, things are complicated right now and you just went through something quite traumatic –”

Sarah interrupted her, “Sabine, you were my friend. One of my closest friends. If what _he _said,” Sarah pointed to Jareth, “is true – how could you keep my abilities from me? How could you not tell me about this place and my memories?”

Sabine looked hurt, but she met Sarah’s gaze steadily. “Despite what he thinks, I didn’t know about your abilities until very recently. Until just before we arrived here, actually.”

Jareth scoffed and Sabine looked murderous, but continued. “I knew who you were when I met you in Boston – you made quite a name for yourself in the Underground when you beat the labyrinth – but I didn’t know to what extent the labyrinth had rubbed off on you or given you power. Oh, of course you had a touch of our light – everyone who interacts with us does – but I never knew how powerful your time here had made you."

Sabine came closer to Sarah; she was almost in arm’s reach. “I swear to you Sarah, I was always looking out for you. I could never have given you your memories back, I’m not that powerful, but I tried my best to keep you out of sight once I knew of your existence. I escaped this place very soon after you did, and I have paid dearly to stay undetected.”

Jareth began to laugh slowly at that; it rose deep from his chest and soon reached a crescendo. His arms were crossed over his chest and he seemed about five inches taller than he had Aboveground.

“Escaped, Sabine? You mean you ran away. Like a coward,” he smiled at the last sentence and raised his brows in challenge. He was baiting her. “And here you are, almost ten years later, encouraging the same _craven _behavior in precious Sarah. Don’t _coddle _her,” he spat.

Sabine took a half step towards Jareth as though she were going to fight him, but Sarah beat her to it.

She walked three paces so she was between them. “Goblin King,” she gritted out. “I’m going to need you to get off your high horse when I have _no clue _what you want with me. I also have a sneaking suspicion that whatever it is isn’t in my best interest. I will _never _willingly help you for any reason. So, if you think that you’ll be able to use me for my powers easily, you have another thing coming.”

Jareth bared his teeth at her in challenge and replied “I wouldn’t be so sure about that _Sarah_, as I’m sure Sabine can explain to you, the Underground is a much different place than your human realm. It is much different now that you aren’t a child, so try to dismiss those lovely memories you just reclaimed. We are not above withholding food, or perhaps throwing you in an oubliette,” he continued when Sarah’s face hardened.

“And,” he made a show of glancing at his nails and smoothing fabric on the edge of his sportscoat, “I do believe you have a stepmother and beloved _brother _living unprotected Aboveground.”

Sabine made a noise of protest and Sarah looked towards her, willing her to deny it. She didn’t. She just stared at Jareth as if he’d crossed a boundary. He most certainly had.

Sabine opened her mouth and spoke, “I think that it may be best if we adjourn for the night. We’ve all experienced a fair amount of excitement –” a scoff from Sarah, “and, Jareth, you can explain what you’d _like _Sarah to accomplish for you in the morning. I would venture to say that you may get what you want more easily without threats to her family.”

Jareth didn’t respond to that, but waved his hand. A man appeared – the same man that Sarah had seen in her dream weeks ago. She felt shock ripple through her.

Jareth spoke, “Neither of you will speak to one another tonight and _that_,” he gave a sharp look as Sabine opened her mouth, poised to protest, “is an order. There is still protocol to be followed, Sabine. Do not question me on this.” She bowed her head but her eyes were hard.

He turned to the other man, “Thale, escort Lady Sabine to the guest chambers on the southern wing.”

Sabine looked mutinous and clenched her jaw. Sarah guessed that meant “the southern wing” was far from wherever she was staying.

“Right this way, Lady Sabine,” Thale glanced at Sarah and exited out the doorway to the right. Sabine followed him, giving Sarah a pleading look. Sarah thinned her lips.

She was alone with the Goblin King.

“Come along then,” he walked past her, casually, as if he wasn’t leading a woman who had fully wanted to murder him fifteen minutes ago and was still considering it now.

Sarah blew air out of her nose sharply and said, “I’m not sure why you would need to separate me and Sabine, unless you’re still lying and don’t want me to find out.” She followed him, reluctantly.

Jareth rolled his eyes and slowed his pace so he was matching Sarah’s. “I separated you because I knew you’d be talking to each other the entire night. I’d prefer if you were _cognizant _of the conversation we will most assuredly be having tomorrow morning. So you need to rest without interruption. And, yes, there are more than a few things I’d like to explain to you myself, without Sabine’s colorful input.”

They walked about a minute more – it felt like ten. All Sarah could think about, besides the insanity of the situation, was that _Thale was real. That man was real – was the other dream I had real too?! Did Jareth really – _

She was interrupted from her frantic thoughts when Jareth came to a stop outside a wide door.

“These will be your rooms while you’re here. I’ll send someone to fetch you in the morning. Don’t bother leaving before then – I know you have no trouble opening doors, but I’ve warded the area outside your rooms to prevent anyone leaving,” he looked at her pointedly, “or anyone coming in without my permission.”

Sarah wanted to protest, to ask the host of questions she still had, but she was exhausted. She hoped there was a bathroom in whatever set of rooms he’d given to her. She simply nodded and turned to enter the room but Jareth stopped her with a hand on the door.

He looked down at her; he was close – too close.

His eyes traveled from her neck, to her jaw, and lingered at her lips. He took a deep breath before speaking, “Whatever you may think of me – whatever Sabine may tell you, even if it is the truth…I – I am relieved that you are…the way you used to be. When I saw you in the mortal realm I –” he looked to the side. “I missed the fire you had when we’d last met.” His eyes met hers again; he looked earnest.

Sarah was so tempted to touch him like she had in her dream. The dream that was most likely real and would haunt her for the rest of her days, she was sure. But she was still angry. She jerked her chin and replied, “Then maybe you should have made sure I didn’t lose my memories. I’m positive that such a _powerful _being like you could have prevented it.” Her eyes met his in challenge.

Jareth grit his teeth, as if he were forcing himself _not _to say what he wanted to say. “Goodnight, Precious.” He vanished without another word.

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and turned to the door, opening it. She was in a sitting room much like the one she’d woken up in. She walked through, taking stock of the velvet couch, the leather armchairs, and the fireplace to the left.

She walked through one door – it was her bedroom.

The bed was huge; the coverlet was a deep red and it was piled high with pillows. She went through another door and found what she was looking for – the bathroom. Before she washed, she tried to find something resembling pajamas.

To the right of her bed here was a large wardrobe. Inside was a collection of nondescript but well-made clothing she would probably have worn in her life Above. She went through the drawers and found a silk pajama shirt and a loose pair of silk drawstring pants. She brought them into the bathroom with her.

Taking off her Halloween costume, she sorted through the drawers and cabinets in the bathroom, finding an assortment of bath products. She turned the taps and watched the water fill the tub, feeling numb. She washed, quickly, and put on her pajamas after drying off. She braided her hair, pushed off half the pillows, and got into the ginormous bed.

She fell asleep immediately and didn’t dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the Underground! Sarah's world is about to get a lot bigger. 
> 
> I may or may not post the next chapter before tomorrow (it's a long one) -- depends on how fast I can edit and check details. Next chap will answer important Qs -- namely how Sarah remained undetected Above for so long, what role Sabine played in that, and what Jareth wants from her re: her powers/abilities. There'll be a flashback in there too.
> 
> Some new characters introduced as well. Thanks for reading :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting you know that I posted another chapter today, so go back to ch. 7 if you didn't read it :)

** _Two years ago, Boston_ **

Sabine walked under the awning and closed her umbrella with a snap, shaking water droplets off of it before stepping into Northeastern’s library.

She had to alter her syllabus on the Edo Period and reserve two books for her graduate students. Her request on the university’s website hadn’t gone through, so she was here to discuss the issue with the librarians. In person. Sabine rolled her eyes. Technology in the human realm was always improving but almost always lacking in efficiency.

As she walked to the library counter, she passed a woman who looked to be in her mid-20s.

She had a faint glow to her – as though she were fae-touched. As she passed, Sabine jolted in recognition.

_That’s Sarah Williams_. She thought back eight years prior – almost everyone Underground had heard about the human teenager who’d defeated the Goblin King and his labyrinth, the most sacred and powerful entity in the realm.

Sarah had grown even more beautiful; now she was a striking adult. She’d escaped the Underground and returned Above, and Sabine knew that her memories of the labyrinth had likely been erased. She wondered if Jareth was aware of her presence in Boston.

Her informants, mostly half-fae and magical beings who’d managed to make their way Above, had mentioned that Sabine’s brother was increasing diplomatic tensions with the Goblin Kingdom – once again, so soon after the last war.

She doubted that Jareth had time to be focusing on Sarah Williams. _Though he’d certainly been drawn to her when she encountered him a decade ago. _Sabine resolved to speak to the girl.

Sabine turned around, away from the library counter, and began to follow Sarah discreetly. Sarah walked into the attached café and got in line, looking at the menu posted near the ceiling. Sabine followed and got in line behind her.

Sabine wracked her brain for a way to get her attention; she saw Sarah place a book on the counter near Sabine’s right elbow. Sabine smiled faintly and slowly moved her elbow, tipping the book off the counter and onto the floor.

“Oh!” She feigned surprise. “I’m so sorry – here, let me grab it.” She bent down and got to the book before Sarah could.

She straightened out and handed the book to Sarah, “Here you go – sorry about that,” she again feigned shock and surprise when she made eye contact. “Oh my,” she laughed, “you look so much like a cousin of mine – gave me a fright.”

Sarah laughed with her. “No, no – it’s really not a problem. I guess I have one of those faces. Thanks for getting that,” she nodded to the book now in her arms.

Sabine smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Sabine.”

** _Present, Goblin Kingdom_ **

Sarah woke early to a knock at her door. There was a woman outside – when Sarah looked at her straight-on, she appeared completely visible. As she swept past Sarah without a word, Sarah saw her from the side and could faintly see through her to the wall on the other side.

“Hello, what’s your name? Do you know Sab – Lady Sabine? Do you know where she is?”

Sarah tried to catch up to her and get in front of her again, but the woman was too fast. She went to Sarah’s wardrobe and rifled through it. She picked out a wrap-style blouse and a pair of wool trousers. Sarah couldn’t really see her face very well from the angle she occupied, but she sensed judgement coming off the woman.

“Hey, lady – I’m not sure what you all wear around here, but that’s a perfectly normal ensemble where I’m from.”

The woman silently gestured for Sarah to sit at the vanity to her left. Sarah did as instructed and the woman began to undo the braid she’d put her hair in the night before, brushing it out.

She bid Sarah stand and directed her to the bathroom, giving her the clothing. She stood to the left as though she would wait. Sarah gave her a wary look, went into the bathroom, and dressed.

When she emerged, the woman seemed to float away, not waiting for Sarah to follow. Sarah followed.

She led her through the castle’s halls until they stopped outside a set of double doors. The woman vanished.

Sarah shook her head and took a deep breath. She pushed the doors open and saw Jareth standing nearby with a woman wearing a short leather jacket and fitted trousers. They stood beside chairs, both on the right side of a long table piled with food. They looked up at Sarah’s entrance.

Jareth gestured to the woman on his right. “Sarah, this is Mahalia, my primary advisor and commander of my armies. Mahalia, this is Sarah.”

Mahalia was not tall – maybe only five-foot-seven – but she looked as though she could lift Jareth and throw him across the room.

Her skin was a dark shade of bronze, flawless, and she had a wide jaw. Her eyebrows were well-groomed and she didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup. _She doesn’t need it_, Sarah thought. Her lips were not particularly large or small, but there was a sensuality to them; her upper lip was plumper than the bottom. Her hair, black and shiny, was pulled into a bun at the back of her head.

Her eyes were dark and appeared to take in the entirety of the room, though she was only directly looking at Sarah. She tilted her face and appraised Sarah before speaking.

“Lady Sarah, it’s an honor to meet you.” She gave a slight bow of her head.

“It’s an honor to meet you as well, Commander.” Sarah walked closer as she responded. She reached a chair on the opposite side.

Mahalia’s lips pulled up in a small smile, “The title isn’t necessary, Lady Sarah. I would be most pleased if you called me Mahalia.”

Sarah raised her brows, finding herself liking the woman without having any real reason to, “Of course, Mahalia, but I must insist you do the same. Just Sarah will do.”

Before anyone else could speak, Sabine waltzed through the doors to the right.

Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail at the top of her head and cascaded down her neck in black curls. Her skin, always pale, seemed to glow like the moon; it held more vitality than usual. She was wearing a long, sleeveless dress of deep sapphire blue and her usual wine-red lipstick. She stopped short when she spotted Mahalia. Jareth smirked.

“Commander Mahalia,” she began.

Mahalia raised her brows and inclined her head towards Sabine, “Lady Sabine. It’s been too long.”

Sabine, flustered, walked to the chair next to Sarah and flopped down.

“Yes, well, we’re all back here now, aren’t we?” She sounded as though she wanted to appear bitter but she just seemed embarrassed. She looked down but there was a blush on her cheeks. Sarah looked to Jareth, whose smirk only deepened.

“Shall we?” He gestured to the food on the table.

Sarah and Mahalia sat down and began to pile food onto their plates.

There was silence, but Sarah was determined to break it. “So,” she began. Jareth looked up sharply, while Mahalia and Sabine were slower to look Sarah’s way. “I believe, when we were at Sabine’s party…the other night. You said something about _little _things she did that kept you out. Away from me. What were they?” She addressed Jareth.

He sat back in his chair. “They weren’t all things she did, some of them appear to have been used by you quite effectively, of your own volition. They also didn’t necessarily keep me out; they just made it more difficult to…detect you. The salt that Sabine constantly gave you was useful for keeping anything of this realm from noticing you. The bracelet that she gave you…it used the number three and red stones – both efficient in repelling nefarious intent.”

Sarah remembered something that had bothered her, “Gloria – my friend, she was a –” she began.

“Changeling,” Jareth finished for her. “Her ancestors would probably have called her ogbanje. She took a bracelet that I crafted to make it easier for me to find and control you.” He didn’t seem remorseful in the least.

“Which is why I yanked it off you before we came here,” Sabine cut in.

“Thank you, for that,” Sarah continued to address her, “And…I believe you. That you didn’t know about my powers.” Sabine looked relieved.

Sarah pushed on. She’d wanted answers from the minute they’d arrived Underground. “Why am I here, Jareth? What use will my…abilities be to you? And why now?”

Mahalia tensed. Jareth looked up from his plate. “The Underground is larger than you know, Sarah. There are six kingdoms, with three holding the most power. My kingdom is one of them; mostly because we have the labyrinth situated within our borders. It possesses the most power in the realm – I derive the entirety of my power from it. And, now, you do as well.”

Sarah raised her brows.

Jareth continued, “Not only is there a ceremony…periodically…in which the labyrinth releases its magic and replenishes some of the realm’s – we are on the verge of war between my kingdom and the other two most powerful courts.”

“What are the two other courts called? Why are you about to go to war?” Sarah asked.

“One court – our greatest enemy, you could say – is the Hiems Kingdom. Their ruler goes by the name Enze,” Sarah’s head jerked when she recognized the name. She turned to Sabine as Jareth kept speaking, “He’s Sabine’s brother.” Sabine didn’t look at anyone; she was suddenly deeply interested in stirring cream into her coffee. Mahalia watched her intently.

“The other court – Enze’s primary ally – is called Mua He. They are ruled by Empress Sothy. That is where Mahalia comes from.” Jareth looked to his advisor.

Mahalia set down her fork. “Both kingdoms are filled with cowards. But they give sadistic a new meaning,” she looked at Sarah. “I left Sothy’s court two centuries ago and I would do anything in my power to make sure that she and Enze don’t win this war.”

Jareth spoke again, “We went to war with the Hiems Kingdom about fifty years ago – that ended around the time you ran the labyrinth. Enze is once again poking around my borders and, more importantly, this is the year that the labyrinth must replenish our magic. That’s where you come in,” his eyes seemed to bore directly into Sarah's.

Sarah set her coffee down, eyes widening. “What does that mean?”

“It means that your little knack for opening doors is directly related to the labyrinth and its penchant for closing itself off to others. The fact that it…gifted you with your abilities means that it will – most likely – only open its innermost expanses to you. This has never happened before, to our knowledge. Even I can’t breach it.”

When Sarah didn’t answer, Jareth continued, “This Midwinter, in about a month and a half, will be the replenishment observance. Not only will we need to use your ability to open the entirety of the labyrinth to us; there will be representatives from every kingdom in the Underground as witnesses, including Enze and Sothy. We must appear as powerful as possible in order to secure allies for the coming war.”

Sarah felt unease slide down her spine. “That’s a lot of faith that you’re placing in me – especially when you’re not fully certain that I can even open the labyrinth. Plus, I avoided using my abilities as much as possible when I was Above. I barely have any experience using magic.”

Jareth nodded. “That’s why we will use this month and a half to our advantage. You will train with Sabine,” Sabine’s eyes widened, “on how to best use your persuasive abilities. I do believe that compulsion was your specialty, Sabine.”

“It was,” Sabine answered.

“Wonderful. You’ll also learn how to channel your ability to open doors with _me,_” he grinned.

Sarah finished chewing her bacon and sighed. “And if I don’t? Will you threaten Karen and Toby again?”

Jareth’s mouth pulled down in a frown. “I’d rather not, but you must understand how important your role is in this situation. Besides,” he took a bite of the eggs in front of him, “if I sent you back Above, you’d inevitably lose your memories once again – especially without my intervention. And now that Sabine isn’t there to conceal you, who knows what could be drawn to your magic courtesy of the labyrinth. I’m surprised you remained undetected for as long as you did, before you met Sabine,” he clarified.

Sarah looked to Mahalia and Sabine, who were both staring back at her. Sabine’s face seemed to say _we’ll talk later. _“Fine,” she said. “When do we start?”

-

Sarah walked down the castle halls, towards the rooms the wraith from the morning had directed her to enter. After breakfast, Jareth left them all to their own devices, with a request that Sarah meet him in his study in an hour to discuss her training more, before she began with Sabine. _Probably to cover his ass before I speak with Sabine_, she thought.

She knocked and heard him tell her to come in. He was seated at a huge wooden desk, intricately carved with abstract swirling patterns and foliage. He gestured for her to sit at the chair across from him, as though she were in the principal’s office about to get detention.

“I wanted to talk to you about Sabine, briefly, before you two begin your compulsion training,” he began, “I’d also like to…answer any questions you have that you may not have had the chance to ask at breakfast.”

Sarah’s eyes narrowed – she’d been right about Sabine. “That’s very…thoughtful of you,” she tried to appear honest and grateful, but knew it was useless.

Jareth barked out laughter, “We’ll have to work on your lying skills, Precious.” He straightened in his chair, “As for Sabine, I’m not asking you to trust me and distrust her – I’m not delusional – but I’d like to inform you that…there exists a complex relationship between Sabine and my kingdom.”

Sarah’s eyes widened – was this where he told her that he and Sabine used to be involved?

Jareth continued, “She spied for the Goblin Kingdom during our last war with her father and brother. She’s never gotten along with her horrid family,” he tilted his head to the side, as if remembering, “after her father was killed in battle, however, Mahalia and I never heard from her again. We thought she’d been captured, found out, but we saw her on the ramparts of their castle not long after she’d gone silent. We concluded that she’d decided to stay on their side. Then we heard that she’d disappeared, believed to be in the human realm.”

Sarah raised a brow, waiting for him to get to the point.

“I wanted you to know this because neither Mahalia nor I know where her loyalties lie. She does not appear to want to go back to Enze’s court, but I can’t allow her to be privy to our more…sensitive conversations before I’m sure she won’t betray us.” He looked at Sarah pointedly.

“You want me to spy on Sabine?” She asked, incredulously.

He made a derisive noise, “I simply want you to ask her about her brother and his court – why she went Above – and tell me if you wish her to be involved in our plans for Midwinter.”

She didn’t trust him, but nodded. Something else came to mind, something she _had _wanted to ask at breakfast. “What happened to my friends from when I ran the labyrinth? Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus?”

He smiled at that, “I was wondering when you’d ask about them. I hate to inform you that they weren’t real; they were simply creations of the labyrinth’s meant to aid you in your run…though they certainly felt real enough when I had to deal with them,” he added, sounding annoyed.

Sarah nodded again; she’d been prepared for that possibility. Another question sprang to mind and she felt it flow out of her before she could stop herself.

“Thale…” Sarah began, “He’s real, and I saw him in a dream of mine, before I came here…” she trailed off and Jareth watched her silently, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath, “Since Thale is real, I wanted to know if another dream I had was _also _real.” She finished and looked him straight in the eye, unwilling to show the embarrassment she felt.

The grin that bloomed on his face was shit-eating, to say the least. Sarah wanted to say something, anything, to wipe it off. But she wasn’t feeling eloquent at the moment, so she remained still.

“And what kind of dream could that have been, Precious? Would I have been in it?”

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and willed herself to be calm. She opened them and said “Yes, and I believe you know that, judging by the ridiculous smile on your face. Was it real?” She pressed.

His smile faded to a smirk and the teasing light faded from his eyes. “It was real, Sarah. Just as real as the dream in which you interrupted my meeting with Thale.” His eyes searched hers and his face was serious, waiting to see her reaction.

Sarah’s face became hot but she willed herself to not give him the satisfaction of becoming flustered. She’d known it was real, in the back of her mind, the whole time. She’d practically _jumped _him in his own bedroom.

“Then I guess I’ll have to ask for better bedding,” she scrambled for a way to make light of the situation, to show him that it didn’t affect her. “The sheets on your bed were _way _nicer than mine.”

Jareth roared with laughter and the atmosphere in the room seemed to settle, marginally. He looked at her and said, “I’ll have to make a note of that and tell the housekeepers, then.”

Sarah just nodded and prepared to leave his study, attempting to salvage her dignity, but Jareth spoke while she was on her way out.

“Sarah,” he called in a lilting voice. She turned to him.

“I do hope you were able to…_find completion _once you’d arrived back in your own bed. If I recall correctly, we were interrupted before I could adequately demonstrate my…considerable skills.”

Sarah’s face must have turned beet red; she didn’t answer, slamming his door behind her. She could hear his laughter following her as she strode down the halls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope nothing is super confusing and I got all my details right -- some info on the characters and kingdoms intro'd here:
> 
> Hiems Kingdom -- Latin for winter. This place is basically always cold and pretty evil. The ~big bad~ of the Underground, if you will. Kinda inspired by Gallic territory / history.
> 
> Mua He (mưa hè) -- pronounced like mooo-ah (if you were smiling while saying it). Vietnamese for summer. Sothy's name is taken from a popular Cambodian name. I wanted to make this place like Southeast Asia -- pretty much always warm and tropical. Mahalia's name is inspired by a Filipino/biblical name.
> 
> Next up -- a much-needed chat with Sabine, another flashback, and very likely a sex scene! Whoo! Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Definitely earning the E rating here, folks. If you'd prefer to skip (I understand), don't read what's between the asterisks/stars (end of chap).

** _Fifteen years ago, southern border of the Hiems Kingdom_ **

** **

Mahalia woke to Sabine’s arm flung over her face. She smiled and gently lifted it, getting up to use the small, cold bathroom adjacent to their rented room. They were saying at the inn they’d been meeting in for months now, where Sabine glamoured herself to look like a simple trader and fed information about her father’s court to Mahalia.

It was also the inn in which they’d first consummated their relationship. Mahalia hadn’t known Sabine well before this war – she’d known her as the enigmatic and charming Princess Sabine: Prince Enze’s beautiful sister, King Laurent’s flighty daughter, and Jareth’s lover from centuries before.

She hadn’t known the sadness that existed inside her, what she’d endured at the hands of her father and brother.

That changed after Sabine had first come to Jareth with information about her father’s armies – their numbers, their positions, and weaponry. After that, Jareth assigned Mahalia to meet with his new spy and they worked together to infiltrate the Hiems Court and orchestrate Laurent’s downfall.

As Mahalia had slowly come to learn about Sabine, to love her, she began to feel a growing rage towards Laurent and Enze – at the torture they’d put Sabine through all these years. There weren’t physical scars – Sabine’s fae blood and Hiems’s healers made sure of that – but her fear remained, as well as a profound hatred of her family.

She hid it well, but Mahalia knew her and her hatred better than anyone, now. That hatred extended to the entirety of the Underground, but Mahalia was sure that Sabine didn’t hate _her. _Not anymore.

Mahalia walked back to the bed and sat down next to Sabine, brushing out the dark hair that fell around her head on the pillows.

She knew Sabine’s hair was naturally a dark blonde, and loved the color, but she respected Sabine’s decision to always glamour it black – making her look marginally different from her father and brother. That small act was significant and made her feel as though she had a sliver of control. Mahalia would encourage whatever made Sabine feel like she was in control, whatever gave her a shred of happiness.

Sabine stirred, opening her eyes and smiling at Mahalia. She rose up on her elbows to give her a kiss – it was sweet and easy, just as most things were for them. Oh, the war wasn’t easy, nor was Sabine’s precarious position as a spy, but everything between just the two of them – that was the easiest thing Mahalia had ever done.

She broke away from the kiss before it could turn into more. “You need to leave soon, before Enze notices you were gone.”

Sabine wrapped her arms around Mahalia and laid her head on her chest. “I know – I just wish we could lie here forever.”

“I do too – if everything goes well today, maybe we can lie in bed for days and days on end,” she smiled wider, indulging in the fantasy. She hardly ever allowed herself to indulge in anything so frivolous, but it was for Sabine. Her smile turned wicked, “Maybe I’ll move you into my rooms at the Goblin Castle and never let you out.”

Sabine dramatically flipped her hair and lifted one arm in a graceful gesture, “And then I’ll be the kept woman I was always meant to be.”

When their laughter died down, Sabine quietly spoke, “I want you to be careful today, Lia. You know that the attack is coming, but my father’s forces are strong. Be safe,” she pleaded.

Mahalia swept Sabine’s hair back from her face, “I’ll be safe, just for you. Your father won’t know what hit him,” she tried for levity, not liking the melancholy expression that was now on Sabine’s face.

“I hope he doesn’t,” Sabine replied.

** _Present, Goblin Kingdom_ **

Sarah walked quickly to Sabine’s rooms – the southern wing. The wraith floated in front of her, leading the way.

She was looking forward to speaking to Sabine in private – the first chance they’d had to be alone together since before the Halloween party.

When she walked in, Sabine threw her arms around Sarah and pulled her to her chest, tight.

She drew back with a sob, “Sarah, I’m so sorry this happened. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize that it was _Jareth _you were bringing to my party. Please forgive me, please, please,” she buried her face in Sarah’s neck; Sarah held her shoulders and pulled back to look at her face.

It was blotchy and red – a far cry from the composed mask she’d had on at breakfast. Sarah felt a stab of pity for her and led her to the sofa in the sitting room.

“It’s okay Sabine, I really don’t blame you. I know you had your own things going on, and it’s not like Natalie and I even told you his name.”

Sabine nodded but still looked upset. “I miss her,” Sarah realized she meant Natalie.

“I do, too,” Sarah agreed. There was a beat of silence before she decided to speak again.

“Sabine,” Sarah began – she didn’t want to do exactly as Jareth asked, or feed into some manufactured court intrigue – but she was curious about Sabine’s past, “What happened before – Jareth told me you were a spy for him when he was at war with your brother, last time. How did you end up Above?”

Sabine’s face turned stricken – she half looked like she was going to be sick. She drew in a breath and released it, shakily. “There’s a lot that you should know about me and my family, when I tell you how and why I went Above.” Sarah settled down on the settee, making herself comfortable and giving Sabine some space.

“I’ve always hated this place – the Underground,” she clarified. “I’m centuries old and my hatred for my family has consumed me for just as long. I always wanted to live Aboveground; I loved humans and the stories they told – their histories, the way they love.”

She sat up straighter, having calmed somewhat. “We had a High King here, long ago, before the courts split up and formed their own polities. He banned fae from traveling Above in the 15thcentury, in human years. Except for whoever holds the Goblin Throne, no one else was _technically _allowed Aboveground. That was about a century before I was born, give or take a few decades. I was never able to see the human realm for myself, but I grew up on my mother’s stories about humans, the mischief they made, and their love of the fae.”

Her eyes turned hard, “My father murdered my mother when I was about twenty-five. So young by our standards. He wanted a new wife, and a male heir, and it’s generally frowned upon to take multiple spouses in Hiems.”

“But not to murder your spouses,” Sarah cut in, shocked.

“But not to murder your spouses,” Sabine agreed. “I was devastated, and my father’s new wife hated me. She gave birth to my brother, Enze, not long after that. He hated me as well. I did my best to stay out of their way for most of my life, living in different kingdoms, attending as many parties as I could, taking so many lovers I couldn’t keep track –”

Sarah interrupted, “Did that include Jareth?” She wanted to hit herself.

Sabine smiled, a genuine smile. “It did – but not for long. We weren’t built to last, and he was as distracted as I was, with others.”

Sarah just nodded, processing that. Sabine’s face turned slightly calculating, “I know you have an…attraction to Jareth, Sarah. I’m not saying that he’s as bad as my father and my brother – I don’t think he could ever compare to them – but don’t trust him fully, please. He’s one of us – of the Underground – and we don’t think, don’t _feel _the same way that you do. Sometimes I think I come close, and it’s nearly destroyed me.”

Sarah nodded again, seeing the sense in Sabine’s words.

Sabine continued, “I tried to keep away from my family, but after a while my father called me home and told me that I needed to make myself useful and work for the good of the family, as if I even considered them family,” she sneered at that. “This included various machinations against rival kingdoms, particularly the Goblin Kingdom. I didn’t want any part of it – I just wanted to make it Above, or continue to engage in mindless sex and other indulgences – and when I said as much to my father, he threw me in the Hiems dungeons and left me to my brother.”

She shook herself and blinked a few times, “The Hiems dungeons are not known for their hospitality, and my brother was – _is – _an…adept torturer. I never came away with visible marks – my father’s healers saw to that – but it mentally changed me. I haven’t been the same since,” she said simply.

Sarah came to her and sat on the sofa, “Oh, Sabine. I’m so, so sorry.”

Sabine nodded and put her hand over Sarah’s, on her arm. “When they released me, after I’d finally agreed to help them, I went to Jareth in secret and gave him my father’s plans, information about his armies, things like that. I made him promise to send me Above if he won the war – I knew that he had direct access to the human realm as the Goblin King. He said yes.”

Sabine smiled, faintly. “That was when he introduced me to Mahalia. We worked together; I fed her information on my father and brother when we would meet, monthly, at a little inn on the border between the Goblin Kingdom and Hiems.”

She looked at Sarah, directly. “I fell in love with her, Sarah, and that was my downfall. It made me sloppy. I would stay entire nights with her at that inn, and I eventually fed her information that was too sensitive to have come from anyone other than me. I wanted the war to end – I wanted her to kill my father – and I was careless.”

She kept going, “Mahalia _did _kill my father, and I was blinded with joy. I didn’t see Enze when he incapacitated me and brought me back to the dungeons. I was there for years, while Enze punished me for spying, for killing our father. Eventually, a maid in our household was able to help me escape. I paid a smuggler from Mua He to get me Above, and I lived there for almost a decade.”

Sarah was still holding Sabine; she squeezed her arm, “Was the Above everything you wanted it to be?”

A few tears escaped her eyes as Sabine smiled, “It was _everything. _And so much more, Sarah. I loved my life there. I love humans – you’re just like my mother told me you were. Exactly what I always imagined.”

-

It was late evening and Sarah was back in her rooms; she and Sabine hadn’t gotten much training done, after discussing Sabine’s past. They’d started with a few compulsion charms – simple to Sabine yet difficult, for Sarah – before eating an early dinner together in Sabine’s sitting room.

Sarah hadn’t seen Jareth since their conversation in his study; Sabine told her not to worry about talking to him until the next morning, when they were scheduled to have breakfast again and then begin Sarah’s training opening doors, or something. Sarah still wasn’t exactly sure what that would entail.

Sarah didn’t realize when she’d fallen asleep, but she found herself dreaming; she was in the labyrinth, in front of stone doors that led to the maze’s interior. The atmosphere was tense – she felt cold and a deep sense of foreboding. She turned; there was a crowd of strangers watching her, all with malevolent and mocking expressions on their faces.

Some jeered at her – they spewed vitriol and yelled horrible things. She wasn’t worth the labyrinth’s power, she’d never be able to open its doors, she was a powerless and unworthy human. Sabine and Mahalia were there, too, watching. Their expressions were stone – their arms were crossed. Sarah knew she’d failed them, somehow. It was overwhelming and she felt crushed under the weight of their taunts; their hatred.

Sarah sobbed in the dream and tried to open the stone doors – they didn’t budge. She heard a voice call her name from behind and she turned.

She saw her father emerge from the crowd, but Robert Williams was now different than the man from her childhood – the man who’d died when she was 15. This man was wearing an embroidered jacket and embellished trousers in a style Sarah had come to associate with the Underground. His eyes were cold and glittered with malice. As he got closer, Sarah could hear what he was saying.

“You were always so entitled, so spoiled; ill-mannered and worthless. Like your mother. And now? You can’t even adequately use the powers that the labyrinth _bestowed _upon you. You’re not worth its gifts, its attentions. How can Jareth stand to keep you around?”

Sarah began to sob freely now – she turned away and tried to open the doors again, desperately.

She heard the crowd’s laughter, growing into a living thing. She started to pound her fists against the wall, bruising them, making them bleed. As the crowd’s yells reached a crescendo, she heard another voice calling her name, repeating it urgently. She tried to find the owner of that voice, sobbing harder. She looked around wildly.

Sarah woke up to Jareth shaking her shoulders and half-yelling her name, over and over.

“Sarah,” his voice sounded frightened. His eyes were wide, his hands curled around her, and one leg was braced on the bed next to her, as if he were about to jump in and then pick her up out of it.

Sarah’s face was wet with tears and her throat felt dry, swollen. She looked at Jareth for a beat and grabbed him closer by his jacket, burying her face in his shirt and crying.

He got closer on the bed, shifting her so they were more comfortable. He stroked her back as Sarah’s sobs began to subside. She felt ridiculous, and ducked her head down, about to apologize, but Jareth stopped her by speaking.

“You were yelling and crying – I thought someone broke through my wards and was about to murder you.”

That made Sarah laugh, wetly. She realized she was still gripping Jareth’s lapels and released them, embarrassed.

Jareth brushed her hair from her shoulder and cupped her neck, his thumb reaching her jaw, almost touching her lips. “What happened in your dream?”

Sarah looked down at her hands, fisted in the blankets. “I’d rather talk about it…another time,” she looked up at him. They just stared at one another. The silence was deafening. Sarah wanted something to happen – she wanted a release to the tension she’d been feeling for weeks. It had only magnified once she’d come Underground.

Words spoken aloud and her own feelings from the preceding weeks whipped through her, until she was overwhelmed.

_“We weren’t built to last, and he was as distracted as I was, with others.”_

_“I’ve wanted to touch you like this for so _long_, Sarah.”_

_“…we were interrupted before I could adequately demonstrate my…considerable skills.”_

She didn’t trust him – not concerning most things: her presence here, her ultimate purpose…but she trusted him with this. She knew he’d stop the second she asked, if she wanted him to.

*

She made the first move. She slid her hands up his shoulders, to his jaw, and kissed him. He kissed her back for a moment, then pulled back. “Sarah –”

She interrupted him, “Jareth, please.” _Please, please. _She kissed him again – he didn’t pull away.

She kissed him languidly, taking her time, deepening the kiss as he opened his mouth. She peeled his jacket from his shoulders and circled his neck loosely with her hands, moving them up until she was cupping his face.

Jareth moved his mouth to her jaw, then up to her cheeks, his lips brushing away the tears. Then he kissed her neck, lightly sucking and using his teeth. Sarah shuddered. She moved to take off his shirt, and he let her, helping her with some of the buttons and shrugging it off.

She trailed her hands over his chest, slowly, as if trying to remember the shape and feel of him. He grabbed the hem of her silk pajama top and lifted it off of her – she rose up on her knees and took off her pajama bottoms until she was bare in front of him.

She sat back on the bed and made room for him; he followed, until his arms were caging her in and his mouth moved over her breasts. His breath left her with goosebumps, heightening her anticipation. With one hand he traced her left nipple, looking up at her – she looked back, breathing rapidly. He rubbed, harder, and she shifted her hips. He bent his head and sucked on her right breast, until she was gasping.

“Tell me to stop,” he said.

She didn’t say anything, just ground against the hard shape of him in his trousers. He groaned and moved away, moved his mouth down, down to her stomach. He hovered over her and repeated himself, “Tell me to stop, Sarah.” Again, she didn’t answer him; she just looked down at him, her eyes glazed with lust.

He kissed her thighs – so close to where she wanted him. He looked up at her, and his eyes were desperate and dark, “Tell me to keep going.”

She sucked in a breath and opened her legs wider, hooking one calf around his shoulders, trapping him, “Keep going, Jareth.”

He lifted her right leg and draped it further over his shoulder. He parted her with his fingers and ran his tongue along the length of her slit – down and then up – until he circled her clit. Sarah made a noise in the back of her throat, guttural and unrecognizable to her own ears.

He wrapped his lips around her and sucked on her clit until she was moaning so loudly she was almost embarrassed. He hummed against her and then switched so his fingers were circling her clit, rapidly, and his tongue moved down to push inside her. He kept going like that, his fingers getting faster and his tongue pushing deeper.

She was watching him, watching as his hips thrusted into the mattress and he buried his face deeper in her cunt. He looked up at her and the expression on his face sent her over the edge – she closed her eyes and came in hard pulses around his tongue; she heard him moaning into her cunt, faintly.

When Sarah calmed down enough to open her eyes, Jareth was still looking at her, tracing her inner thighs with one of his hands; his face and fingers were slick. She threaded her fingers in his hair and cupped the back of his neck, urging him to climb back up her body. She realized his pants were gone and she reached down, stroking him, circling the tip of his cock with her thumb. He gasped and twitched; he switched their positions so she was on top of him, her arousal dripping between her thighs and onto his stomach.

She moved down slightly and ground herself on him, teasing herself with his cock, moving back and forth until they were both slippery and panting. He grit his teeth, “Stop teasing,” he bit out, “or I’ll go insane.” His hands cupped her ass and squeezed, urging her on.

Sarah laughed breathlessly and held him so he was poised at her entrance. She slowly sank down onto him, relishing the stretch and the glide, until he was completely inside her. She squeezed around him until he was bucking into her, groaning.

“_Fuck,” _he threw his head back, closing his eyes and grabbing her hips.

Sarah rolled her hips, setting a slower pace, leaning back slightly. He opened his eyes and looked at her, her breasts, and where they were joined. He moved his left hand up from her hip to cup her breast, tracing her nipple with his thumb, and then he moved it further down, to circle her clit at a faster pace.

She ground her hips in tight circles and felt her orgasm approaching; she moved her hand on top of his, desperately, encouraging his finger’s movements. “Jareth,” she gasped. He switched his thumb for his index and forefinger, swirling them until she couldn’t stand it anymore.

She came with a low moan, still moving on top of him. Her clenching muscles made him groan sharply and trigged his release; he grunted, grabbed her hips, and held her down tightly on top of him, pulsing inside her.

They were both panting – their hearts were racing – as they came down from their high. Jareth traced patterns on her hips and just looked at her, silently. Sarah moved to get off of him. Neither of them spoke.

*

She lay down next to him and Jareth encouraged her to move onto her side, facing away from him. His hand slid up to her waist until his thumb rested just underneath her breasts, and his leg moved between hers. She closed her eyes as her breathing evened out. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do we think they'll regret that come morning, yes or no....
> 
> Thanks for reading along :)
> 
> Also, I hate to say this, but things are about to pick up for me (work and life-wise). I'll try to update regularly, but expect chapters to come a bit slower.
> 
> PS -- Editing this note to let you know, should you wish to follow me on Tumblr, I am there (same handle). It's a personal blog, so not really any laby stuff. But I'm there to yell at/interact with.


	10. Chapter 10

Sarah woke up alone. Judging by the cold sheets beside her, she’d been alone for quite some time.

If it weren’t for the lightly-mussed spot next to her, she would have questioned if the night before had really happened. But then she took stock of her muscles – screaming in places she hardly paid attention to, typically – and was positive that she’d had sex with Jareth last night.

It’d been _really _good sex. That she’d initiated, perhaps stupidly. Just like when she’d crawled all over him in her dream.

She wanted to ignore the host of feelings swirling within her – some ecstatic, most negative – and fall back asleep. She wanted to sit in bed and watch shitty movies and invite Natalie over to bake a cake. She felt like an idiot for wanting to do all that.

She couldn’t do _any _of it. As far as she knew, she still had to face breakfast with Jareth, Mahalia, and Sabine. Then train with Jareth for god-knows-how-long. That was going to be an ordeal. Sarah had never been good at hiding her feelings, especially strong ones, and she was feeling a _lot _at the moment.

Embarrassment, dejection, potential rejection – not to mention a sliver of fear from the nightmare she’d had earlier. _And _she was still unsure of how she felt being back Underground. She needed to think – quickly, because she knew that silent housekeeper would arrive to make sure she was awake any minute – and come up with a plan, or at least settle on a reaction and way to act around the others.

Sarah knew that if she didn’t think about the mask, the _performance, _she should put on in front of Jareth, she’d go insane. She’d avoid eye contact when they met for breakfast and make Sabine and Mahalia feel weird.

She wouldn’t do that, especially when so much was at stake. Not when there was a war about to happen, and she was partially responsible for making sure things went the Goblin Kingdom’s way.

Even if the friends she’d made her first time Underground weren’t real, there were other people here who _were _real and were depending on her. Sabine, Mahalia, countless Goblin Kingdom subjects… Sarah wanted to make sure that they’d end up safe from Enze and Sothy.

Plus, maybe if she did her best, and they found allies for the war, Jareth would send Sarah back Above. Maybe she was stupid for thinking that. Regardless, she’d have to suck it up and follow Jareth’s lead. If he wanted to pretend that nothing had happened last night, she’d just have to do him one better and act as though _nothing _he did affected her.

She was good at compartmentalizing.

Feeling slightly better now that she had made a decision, Sarah got out of bed – yep, definitely sore – and made her way to the bathroom to bathe.

The wraith entered her rooms – _had she knocked_? – by the time Sarah finished bathing and sat in a robe at her vanity.

She applied some light concealer on the dark circles under her eyes and a touch of lipstick, again stolen from Sabine. If she’d been rejected by Jareth; if he felt regret for what they’d done last night, Sarah was going to make sure that she looked good at the same time.

Petty, but it made her feel better and more in control.

The wraith brushed her hair and wound it into a chignon at the base of her skull, securing it with an ornamental clip.

Sarah put on a sweater and a pair of jeans – much to the wraith’s visible displeasure. Sarah rolled her eyes and held out her hands as if to say, _let’s get a move-on._

The wraith turned her nose and floated towards the dining room.

-

Sarah was the last to arrive at breakfast, and she was happy to see that she wasn’t the most awkward one. Mahalia kept sneaking glances at Sabine, who was studiously ignoring her.

She locked eyes with Jareth – he gave her a challenging look. He seemed almost as combative as she felt. It was as though they were both daring one another to bring up the night before. She lifted her chin and sat down next to Sabine, who was still avoiding eye contact with Mahalia.

She began throwing food onto her plate at random and poured her coffee to the brim of the cup.

“Sleep well?” Jareth asked, eyebrow raised.

Sarah flashed him a winning smile – one she knew was dazzling. “Amazingly.”

“No dreams?”

Her eyes narrowed, but she kept her smile. “None I can really remember – I’m afraid there’s not much to tell. Just a very,” she sliced off a pad of butter to use on a roll, “boring night.”

Emotion flashed in Jareth’s eyes at that – it was gone too quickly for Sarah to categorize. He grunted in response.

_Did he want tears? _She thought to herself. She kept eating.

Mahalia looked up, “How did training go with Lady Sabine yesterday, Sarah?”

Sarah raised her brows, caught off guard by Mahalia’s use of a title in front of Sabine’s name – especially after learning about their previous relationship. She shot a look of sympathy to Sabine before she responded.

“In all honesty, it wasn’t the most productive. We only got through a few compulsion charms that I could use in writing or under duress.”

Jareth looked up from his plate, agitated, “Care to explain, Sabine?”

Sabine met his glare with one of her own, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Jareth. You hadn’t allowed us to speak to one another after _forcing _us here two days ago. So we spoke to one another and then began our training. It takes time.”

Jareth sat back in his chair, “Time,” he repeated. “Time is something we do not have. Should Sarah fail to use her powers to ensure the labyrinth is opened to us, or should she fall prey to any of the _hundreds _of malicious fae who most certainly intend her harm, we will be in more trouble than we were before the last war. And surely _you _remember what prompted the last war.”

His eyes were colder than Sarah had ever seen them – some powerful emotion was lingering, just underneath the surface. It was then that she realized she didn’t really know why the last war had started – _a border dispute? _She wracked her brain for the reason, but it wasn’t there.

Sabine drew in a breath but her gaze did not waver. “I remember what happened, Jareth. I remember every awful thing my father and brother have ever done. That doesn’t mean that you can bully me or Sarah into a timeline that _you _find appropriate. Simply because you find yourself in a bad mood and wanting to lash out.”

Jareth rose from his chair with a loud scraping sound. He looked murderous. His eyes found Sarah. “I will not treat you with the same…_caution _that Sabine has. Expect a difficult training session, today. I expect you in my study in two hours.”

He left; his shoulders were tense.

Sarah raised her eyebrows and glanced at Sabine, who just rolled her eyes. Though Jareth’s advisor was still with them, Sabine said “He won’t hurt you, physically – he’s all bark and no bite. Watch out for his mouth though.”

Sarah’s face turned red when Sabine’s words forced her to remember the night before. She accidentally made eye contact with Mahalia, who gave her a smirk.

She finished eating and excused herself so she could prepare for her training.

-

Sarah walked to Jareth’s study, without the wraith. She was starting to get the hang of the place and didn’t want any potential witnesses to whatever Jareth would say to her.

She stopped outside and closed her eyes for a minute, imagining what it would be like if she just turned around and went back to her room. She wasn’t allowed much time to relish in that fantasy, however – Jareth must have sensed her and called out, “I won’t let you stand out there all day.”

Grimacing, Sarah opened his door and walked in. They stared at one another.

Jareth got up out of his chair. “We’re going somewhere else. Follow me.”

Sarah followed, wondering if the taciturn act would continue all day.

Jareth led her to a bright area that looked like a ballroom. Windows covered the right side from floor to ceiling. She saw no doors, just open space.

Jareth stopped towards the middle of the room and turned to Sarah; his face impassive. “I’m going to conjure various items that you must open – they won’t be like your doors in the human realm; I will use magic to lock them, and you must sense a way to open them.”

Sarah thought for a moment, then asked, “How do I _sense _a way to open them when I’ve never used magic before and never opened a magic door?”

Jareth rolled his eyes, “You’ve used magic many times, Precious. You just haven’t been aware of it. You have to train yourself to _know _when you’re using it and go from there.”

So he was back to calling her Precious – Sarah wasn’t sure that was a good sign.

She shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal gesture and motioned for him to begin. He smirked.

He summoned one of his crystals – Sarah remembered those – and dropped it to the floor. An old wardrobe took its place. It was shut.

“Open this,” he said, softly.

Sarah stepped closer to the wardrobe and tried to open the door – it didn’t move. She stepped back and tried to sense something, _anything, _but came up empty. She felt stupid and useless; it was similar to her dream.

As if sensing her thoughts, Jareth asked, “What happened in your nightmare, Sarah? I know you were lying at breakfast and I remember how frightened you were last night.” _Just like I remember everything else_, he seemed to leave unsaid.

Sarah didn’t look at him and tried to grasp both the wardrobe’s doors to forcefully wrench them open – still didn’t work. “It was nothing.”

Jareth laughed, coldly, “Nothing? Is that how you’d classify most things? As _nothing?_” Sarah got the feeling they weren’t talking about her dream anymore.

“It was a _one-time thing, _Jareth. I’m sure it won’t happen again.” She definitely wasn’t talking about her dream.

Jareth laughed again – this time it sounded bitter, “Of course. I’m sure I won’t be needed in your room again, for nightmares or otherwise.”

Sarah just looked at him, her hands still on the double-doors of the wardrobe. He stared back, “You have to try harder; it’s not about brute force. _Sense _the magic keeping it shut. Use your mind.”

Sarah was slightly relieved that they seemed to have dropped the nightmare subject, but she was beginning to hate that wardrobe. She dropped her hands and tried to sense any shred of magic that might be holding the doors together.

Jareth watched her as she closed her eyes and attempted to reach out with her mind. After a few beats she felt it – it was sticky and seemed to be gumming the doors together so they couldn’t open. “I feel something!” she said excitedly. “It’s sticky – does that make sense?”

Jareth’s mouth pulled up slightly, “It makes sense – that’s the nature of the charm I used. Try to imagine scrubbing it away, like you were cleaning it.”

Sarah did as he asked – envisioning herself cleaning between the doors and around the wardrobe. The doors popped open; she didn’t have to touch them.

A small amount of surprise crossed Jareth’s face, but he composed himself before Sarah could really gloat. “Another one,” he said.

They continued like that for two more hours – until Sarah was mentally exhausted and ready to sleep for a day and a half. Though he wasn’t the kindest or easiest person to train with, Jareth was good at giving instructions and explaining the magic Sarah was using. She supposed it wasn’t the worst scenario.

Jareth straightened out his jacket and looked up, “Try to make more progress with Sabine, tonight. Breakfast at the same time tomorrow, and then we’ll continue here.”

Sarah nodded, and he vanished. She began to walk back to her rooms for a nap and lunch, which she knew the wraith would keep waiting for her. She thought about bringing up what had happened with Jareth to Sabine, but decided against it. She wanted to stick to training this time, so that her nightmare wouldn’t end up coming true.

She walked briskly, still feeling conflicted but happy that training with Jareth hadn’t been as bad as she thought it would be. She’d just have to control herself around him – act like he didn’t affect her in the least.

She wasn’t so sure she’d be successful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up -- a field trip, I think. Also, more emotions & more training!


	11. Chapter 11

Sarah was seven and she was laughing. She was laughing and dancing with her father.

Souvenirs by Voyage was playing in their home – loud enough to saturate several rooms. Robert had put on the group’s new record and Sarah loved dancing to disco. She’d put on her mother’s feather boa and wore a large pair of sunglasses. Robert was holding her small hands and swinging them back and forth, twirling Sarah for each and every chorus.

_‘Cause all we need is a world of dreams,_

_Forgotten feelings come back in streams,_

_Come join us don’t hesitate_

_Just be yourself be free – let’s be free!_

She didn’t know where Linda was – it didn’t really matter, at that moment.

She had her dad and she was so happy listening to his _Hot 100 _disco hits and dancing along with a fake microphone. Robert picked her up for the last chorus – Sarah was ecstatic, he didn’t pick her up much now that she was growing up – and swung with her until she was dizzy and giggling like a maniac.

He was laughing too – he asked her if she wanted him to play it again. Sarah screamed out a yes; they started again.

In her dream, they kept dancing to Souvenirs and he never died – never left.

-

Sarah woke up with a gasp and tears in her eyes that had yet to spill. She stared at the ceiling and let them fall, turning into her pillow to cry softly. She hadn’t dreamt of her father since his disturbing appearance in her nightmare, days ago. She’d been dreaming of memories, long forgotten, lately. It was probably some after-effect of receiving her memory from the labyrinth again.

She continued to stare at the ceiling and willed herself to get up and start getting ready for breakfast.

Once she had bathed and dressed and the wraith had come to fetch her, she found herself in the Goblin King’s dining room with the others. Things were less awkward now, between all of them. They’d developed something of a routine over the past few days. Plus, Sarah hadn’t had another nightmare, and Jareth appeared content to drop that subject, as well as their…encounter several nights ago.

Sabine looked up from her toast and sat back with her cup of coffee, “I think we should take Sarah on a field trip, Jareth.”

Jareth and Mahalia exchanged a look. “Explain your…reasoning behind this, Sabine. And where you’d like to take her. Maybe I’ll agree.”

Sarah mentally rolled her eyes at their speaking about her as if she weren’t there, but remained silent.

“I think she’s been cooped up inside this castle for too long and needs some external stimulation. You’ve dismissed most of your court and servants – a way to ease her into this, I’m sure. But I think more of this drudgery will make her, not to mention _me, _go nuts. Plus, maybe we can practice some of the magic we’ve been using in your Goblin Markets. Some _learn by doing, _sink-or-swim benefits.”

“Goblin Markets? Is this in the Goblin City that I went…through…when I ran the labyrinth?”

Jareth smiled, slightly, at that. “Unfortunately not. That was another illusion from the labyrinth. These markets are located outside my castle and are mainly run by fae who live in my borders. Some travelers from other kingdoms come to trade and sell, as well.”

He appeared to consider for a moment. Mahalia spoke up, “I can watch them, Jareth.”

Sabine cut in, “We don’t need more protection – I’m more than enough. This should just be me and Sarah.”

Jareth shook his head, “If I let you do this, Mahalia and I will at least be in the markets, nearby.”

Sabine sniffed. “As long as you allow us _some _privacy to talk about you.”

-

Sarah walked around the market with Sabine, perusing stalls with spices, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables that she’d never seen Above. It was huge – and colorful.

Tents and stalls peppered the landscape, in reds, greens, yellows, and blues. Sarah and Sabine had walked away from Jareth and Mahalia soon after they’d transported to the market entrance. Jareth said he would give them two hours to browse and practice magic. Sabine rolled her eyes once he was out of sight and told Sarah that they’d come here to gossip and walk around.

“That castle is _depressing _and we need time to ourselves.” Sarah couldn’t help but agree.

They walked, and Sarah contemplated what Jareth’s castle must be like, usually. Sabine had said he dismissed most of his court – how many fae usually occupied the castle? Did they think she was that fragile? She resolved to bring it up with him at their next training session.

Sabine picked out some jewelry for them both – a ring for her and a necklace for Sarah – and charged them to Jareth’s account. Sarah had laughed at that, impressed (but not surprised) at Sabine’s boldness.

Sarah passed what looked like a tarot or palm-reading tent and pointed it out to Sabine, who just shook her head.

“I don’t trust the people who offer those services – they’ll cheat you out of money _and _scare the living daylights out of you.” Sarah dropped it and they moved on.

A few minutes later, they passed under a stone bridge. Sarah turned as she heard some kind of commotion from behind.

There looked to be some small figure running through a few stalls, being chased by two larger figures. Sarah supposed someone must have stolen something. She took a step towards the swirl of activity and was pushed further forward by someone moving behind her. She looked back to find Sabine, but couldn’t see her between the various fae who had also gathered to watch.

She only became alarmed when two large guards began to run through the crowd, which jostled Sarah further into an alley underneath the bridge. She came to a stop beside a small stall with a tattered red cloth overhang.

She spotted the owner – a small, bent fae who appeared simultaneously ancient and young. His face was unlined but his eyes looked old and cunning. He smiled at her – she had to stop herself from recoiling. His smile was unctuous, oily, creepy. It never came close to reaching his eyes – standing stationary between his upper and lower lips.

“What a lovely human you are. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been able to come across one of your kind.”

Sarah nervously smiled back and turned her head, still looking for Sabine.

“You know,” he continued, heedless to her discomfort, “I could make a significant amount of money from you.”

Sarah raised her brows – trying and failing not to show her panic. _Where did Sabine go?_

“I’m not so sure about that; I’m a human of little talent and even less intelligence,” she deadpanned.

The small fae laughed at that; it was genuine but still held a hint of his smarmy smile. “Oh, but you’re so lovely and so very…amusing. Humans were very dull and ugly, if my memory serves. You’d fetch quite a price, for your eyes alone.”

“Well, you most certainly cannot have my eyes,” Sarah tried to sound authoritative.

An odd look came across the imp’s face – his irises swirled with color and things around him bled like a watercolor painting. Sarah felt her willpower melting away – he was _strong. _She knew he was using compulsion; her training with Sabine made her aware of that fact. Yet she couldn’t do much in the face of his magical strength. He wasn’t even using _words _yet.

“I’d like you to walk to that cage to my left and lock yourself in,” he said casually. His offhand delivery belied the power behind the words. Sarah felt completely helpless – her panic was in full swing.

She began to walk to the cage – it was large; she tried not to think about what (or _who_) it usually held.

She was stepping into the cage when she heard his voice.

“What, exactly, do you think you’re doing _imp?_”

The compulsion on Sarah broke almost instantly; she felt the immensity of her relief wash over her like a tidal wave.

She turned from the cage and walked over to Jareth, who put his hand at her back, protectively.

The imp smiled his oily smile once again and bowed deeply to the king. “Your Majesty, I was simply taking advantage of the previous High King’s law that any human within this realm is subject to the mercy and whims of our folk. I thought to fetch a price for such a rare…specimen.”

Jareth’s face contorted in disgust. His eyes were filled with barely-suppressed rage. “Sarah here is under _my _protection. Did you simply ignore the charm I placed on her with the Goblin King’s sigil?”

Sarah hadn’t known about _that._

The small fae bowed lower; Sarah wondered if he’d eventually hit the ground. “My Lord, I am one of your eldest subjects and I am afraid my ability to sense such charms has been drastically affected…negatively.”

The Goblin King’s mouth pulled down further. His fingers twitched, as though he were stopping himself from hitting the imp in front of Sarah.

“Very well,” he said calmly – too calmly. He snapped his fingers and the imp disappeared from their view; a small squawk was all he was able to manage.

Sarah looked up at Jareth, shocked. “Where did he go?”

Jareth set his jaw, “To my dungeons.”

Sarah wanted to ask him what would happen to the man, but she sensed that he was angry with _her. _She’d never seen him like this – she could practically feel magic rolling off him in time with his rage. It was worse than when he’d lashed out at Sabine at the breakfast table a few days prior.

She jerked her chin in a small nod. Jareth took her hand and transported them back to his castle.

They were in the hallway outside his dining room. Mahalia and Sabine were waiting; Sabine’s face was white and her eyes were wide. Mahalia had the same, even expression she usually sported, but she seemed somewhat relieved to see Sarah standing with Jareth in front of them.

Jareth advanced on Sabine – she stepped back, slightly, but mostly held her ground.

“How did you manage to fail in protecting Sarah so very _profoundly_? Not that you care, I’m sure, but she was moments away from being carted off to be sold at a fae market.”

Sabine’s face crumpled. “I completely _lost _her, Jareth! There was such a commotion when that man stole from the silversmith, I got pushed into the crowd and hit by your guards – it was a huge mess.” She looked over Jareth’s shoulder at Sarah, “I’m sorry, Sarah – I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Jareth was not moved; he towered over Sabine and his face darkened, “I’m not sure how a fae of your age and talents could have lost _one _human in a market of non-humans. In fact, I’m of the mind that you might have lost her on purpose – perhaps to Enze’s benefit? Perhaps I should put you in the dungeons just like I did to that _imp _that tried to take her.”

Sabine blanched – she was whiter than Sarah had ever seen her. “Jareth, I fucked up – I’m sorry. I’ll never suggest that we go anywhere outside the castle again. I’m not working for my brother and I _never _have.” Before Jareth could respond, Sarah stepped behind him and took his arm.

“Jareth, please, she didn’t mean to lose me. It was chaos in that market.”

Jareth turned to face her – his eyes narrowed. “I haven’t even _begun _to think about what punishment you’ll face, Sarah. Putting yourself in danger like that endangers my entire _kingdom. _And don’t even get me started on how lax you and Sabine have been in your compulsion training. Maybe if you’d been a bit more serious about learning how to block simple compulsion magic, that…_gremlin _wouldn’t have been able to incapacitate you so easily.”

Sarah stepped closer to him – they were almost nose-to-nose, “His power was very _strong, _Jareth – I know enough about compulsion to understand that. Sabine and I _have _been practicing, for days. He told you that he was old – probably ancient, I’m guessing. So don’t come at me with exaggerations about how easily he compelled me, because that’s complete and utter bullshit.”

Jareth lowered his voice, it was cold, “Bullshit, Sarah? Almost as bullshit as your manufactured _care _for those around you? Your false hero-act? I’m not sure you could care about _anything_, judging by how selfishly you conduct yourself day-to-day.” He raised his brows in challenge. When Sarah didn’t respond, he looked as though he were about to continue, when Mahalia stepped in.

“Jareth,” she began. He ignored her – his magic continued to roil and curl around him; he was still staring at Sarah in pure rage.

“_Your majesty,” _Mahalia said, forcefully.

Jareth looked at Mahalia and stepped back from Sarah. His magic had calmed somewhat; the air in the hallway was less tense, marginally.

He looked to Mahalia, “I will leave Sabine to _you_, if you feel that you can maintain some sense of objectivity.” Mahalia nodded.

Turning to Sarah, he said, “As for _you_, we will continue your training tomorrow, after I’ve sentenced your would-be jailer. I’ll take over your compulsion training for the time being.”

“What will you do with him? The imp?” Sarah was afraid to ask, but she had to know.

“Concerned, are you? You shouldn’t be – it will be nothing less than he deserves, I assure you.”

Sarah grit her jaw, “Don’t kill him, Jareth.”

Jareth laughed without humor, “Oh, Precious, you have no authority here and _certainly _won’t be deciding how I treat prisoners. I won’t kill him yet, though. He may wish I killed him, by the time I’m finished.”

Sarah opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, Jareth vanished. She turned to Mahalia and Sabine. Their faces were blank.

Finally, Mahalia seemed to shake herself. “Sarah, I’d advise you to go back to your rooms and avoid coming back out until tomorrow. Your maid can deliver your dinner to you.”

She stepped towards Sabine, who still seemed as shaken as Sarah felt. “Sabine, come with me.”

Sabine mouthed _I’m sorry _at Sarah.

“Don’t hurt her, please, Mahalia.” Sarah said.

Mahalia gave Sarah a pitying look, “I will not hurt her, Sarah. Go and stay in your rooms.”

Sarah turned away and headed for her rooms, tears of frustration, rage, and sadness about to fall.

She felt nauseous at the prospect of Jareth torturing the small fae, and disgust at herself for managing to fuck up her first time outside the castle. Jareth was right – she was selfish. Selfish and stupid and useless.

She’d been working hard with Sabine, sure, but she needed to try harder, do more, and learn how to deflect fae magic better. She got to her rooms and wrenched open the door, slamming it closed.

Once in her bedroom, she let her tears flow and cried for the second time that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to any Canadians out there :)


	12. Chapter 12

The Empress placed her wine on the table to her left and watched her new favorite concubine exit her chambers. She’d found them on the edge of her realm; their village had traded the concubine for a year’s food supply.

Sothy found the actual, material price of little consequence. She could pay for her entire kingdom – millions of fae – to eat well year after year. She never did.

The abstract price – the willingness of the village to trade its most beautiful and well-loved denizen for survival – Sothy found that absolutely _delicious_. She’d especially relished in the family’s pleas. She frequently sought to make these deals; she would search high and low, travel to small and distant islands – backwaters, really – or artificially create desperate situations, in order to facilitate the frantic and fraught decisions that would both benefit her and leave her lust for despondency satisfied.

She placed her headdress back upon her head, smoothing out her straight, black hair; she heard the door open and looked up, sharply.

Her advisor stepped inside; aware his Empress had finished with her…extracurricular activities for the time-being.

“Your Excellency, I have news.” He bowed low and cast his eyes downward, to the opulent marble floors.

“Rise, Cipta, and tell me your news.” She affected boredom, but she was intrigued. War _was _on the horizon, and she expected a note from Enze about dealings within Hiems and around the Goblin Kingdom.

Cipta surprised her. “I have had word that the labyrinth’s champion was seen perusing the Goblin Markets this afternoon. She was also seen with Lady Sabine of Hiems.”

Sothy quelled her surprise – hid it under the mask she’d perfected over centuries. “Were they under the Goblin King’s protection?”

He nodded in affirmative. “Yes, Excellency. He transported them back to his castle after an imp attempted to compel the champion to lock herself into a cage.”

Sothy laughed; it was a tinkling, delicate laugh that did little to reveal the cruelty underneath. “Does this mean that Jareth’s new pet, his labyrinth’s victor, has no magic or the ability to use it?”

Cipta smiled lightly. “It would appear so. My informants were not close enough to sense her abilities, but they described the ease with which the imp compelled her.”

Sothy grinned. “Notify my war generals of this development.”

“Would you like me to speak with the prisoner as well?”

Sothy raised her brow at Cipta, internally grateful for his foresight and cunning. “Oh, yes. Do inform him.”

-

Sarah had disobeyed Mahalia and would probably end up regretting it. She couldn’t sit in her room any longer – it was barely late afternoon – and too many negative thoughts were swirling in her head to allow her the luxury of sitting still.

She decided to go on a walk.

She didn’t think the castle was particularly dangerous; Sabine had said Jareth dismissed much of his court, after all. Plus, she figured it would benefit her to be more aware of where each hall went, if there was a discernible exit she could use (_without _magic), and if the eastern and northern wings were much different from the wings she was already familiar with.

She was near the center of the castle – around where they had breakfast each morning – when she heard voices.

She quietly, slowly walked to where a door was mostly closed but had a sliver still open. She paused just to the door’s left and peeked inside.

“You hardly speak to me – you hardly _look _at me during breakfast or otherwise. It makes it difficult to trust you, Sabine.”

Sabine crossed her arms and frowned – a defensive gesture. “I don’t want to discuss this, Mahalia. All you need to know is that I never cooperated with my brother and I suffered greatly for it. I won’t put up a fuss here, though I am deeply resentful that I’ve been taken from my life Above. If you’d like to punish me to appease Jareth, do so. By all means.”

Mahalia sighed and stood as though she were about to leave. Sarah whirled and began walking in a random direction, as quickly she could while still remaining quiet.

She wandered for a few minutes, still processing what she’d heard from Sabine and Mahalia. She knew Sabine considered her previous relationship with Mahalia a weakness – a weakness that had caused her ultimate capture by Enze. Sarah still felt a pang of sadness and sympathy for Mahalia.

Her thoughts turned to Jareth and, inevitably, to what he must be doing with the imp who had compelled her. She wasn’t quite sure as to how the Underground enacted justice, but she was afraid it was of the Old Testament variety. Guilt consumed her – distracting her – until she found herself staring out of a wide window and into a garden.

The garden was beautiful; roses in every color she could think of dotted the landscape. She could see at least three small ponds, benches to sit on, and one large, arched trellis heavy with climbing ivy.

She walked down a set of stone steps and stood next to one of the ponds – koi of unnatural colors (at least unnatural colors in the Above) swam playfully within. She contemplated going back to her rooms – if she could find them – and coming back with a notepad to do some writing or sketching. It would be a nice distraction.

“Lady Sarah?”

Sarah heard a familiar voice and turned around – it was Jareth’s…personal assistant? She didn’t really know what the man was. But he looked friendly and maybe a bit meek. She figured he must be safe and walked towards him.

“Hello,” she smiled cautiously, “it’s Thale – right?”

Thale smiled back, “Yes, Lady Sarah. It’s nice to meet you and run into you, finally.”

She laughed at that. “Has the Goblin King been telling you to stay away from me?”

Thale at first seemed caught off guard at the question but, realizing she was teasing, gave her a mischievous look. “Nothing so direct, but I believe he made it clear that his staff should do their best to refrain from startling you and Lady Sabine.”

Sarah tried to find a response that wouldn’t show how she was feeling about Jareth at the moment. Thale seemed close to him, after all. “That’s very…considerate of him.”

Thale shot her a look that said he didn’t buy her act. “Indeed…I wanted to tell you, Lady Sarah, that I found your academic thesis most interesting.”

Sarah shot him a look of utter disbelief. “You read my thesis? My MA thesis?” Even Karen hadn’t read it. Toby would likely kill her if she suggested he read it.

Thale smiled again, “Oh yes. I hadn’t familiarized myself much with Aboveground music before, but I found the Rolling Stones most…entertaining. And complex. Your interview with Gloria Wynn was very poignant.”

Sarah raised her brows. That thesis, as well as her research, felt like it had been conducted by a different person – in a different lifetime. “Thank you…how did you read it? Do you often hop back and forth between the realms to grab academic reading?”

Thale laughed. “No, Lady Sarah. I was with His Majesty when he first traveled Above to find you. I was curious about your interests, so I found your thesis at the Tufts library.”

Sarah began walking in step with Thale in the garden, “Well, I’m sorry your work with Jareth had to involve familiarizing yourself with my boring life and interests.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Thale had a serious look on his face when he answered. “No, Lady Sarah. I didn’t find your life or your interests boring in the least,” he paused for a beat. “Will you continue your scholarly pursuits while you’re here?”

“Not that I wouldn’t like to but…how would I?”

Thale raised his own brows. “There is a library in the western section of the castle; it’s quite close to your own rooms. I could take you there, should you wish.”

Sarah considered for a moment. She was tired, and already shouldn’t have been outside her rooms – per Mahalia’s suggestion. “I’d like to go, but I think I have dinner waiting for me in my room. Can I take you up on that offer tomorrow, perhaps?”

Thale bowed his head, slightly. “Of course, Lady Sarah. Do you know how to return to your rooms?”

She didn’t, exactly – she’d been wandering, lost, when he’d found her in the garden. She shook her head.

Thale smiled and took her arm, lightly leading her. “Then I will escort you.”

-

Sarah arrived back in her rooms to see a verifiable feast. Apparently the wraith either thought she was entertaining company or that she needed to eat enough for three people.

Before she sat down to eat, she ran into her bedroom to wash her hands in the ensuite bathroom.

As she walked in, she paused – her bed was made. The wraith usually made her bed in the mornings, but Sarah had mussed it up before she’d decided to head on her walk. She supposed the maid could have re-made the bed when she’d delivered Sarah’s dinner, but Sarah wanted to investigate.

She walked over and flipped down the comforter. Sheets, exactly like the Goblin King’s, were now on her bed. She’d made a joke about how nice his sheets were days ago. She ran her hand across them, lightly, and considered.

Was this an apology? A taunt? She wasn’t sure. They were indeed luxurious – almost softer than silk. She flipped the blankets back up and went to wash her hands so she could eat.

-

The next afternoon found Sarah heading to Jareth’s study, anxious and mentally preparing for a verbal sparring match. He hadn’t been at breakfast, and Sarah was determined to bring up a few things that had been on her mind recently. She was also determined to do well during the actual _training _portion of their meeting.

She stood outside for a moment and decided to knock before he could call out to her. The best defense may really be a good offense, as it were.

“Come in, Sarah.” She walked through the door.

He seemed calm; it was a far cry from the rage she’d seen yesterday. He got up without saying a word and brushed past her. She followed.

He led her to the windowed ballroom they’d practised in previously. He stopped and turned, about to begin their lesson, Sarah assumed – but she interrupted him.

“What did you do with the man who compelled me?”

Jareth looked as though he were expecting that question; his lips quirked in a smile. “I’m not sure yours and Sabine’s little stunt yesterday merits any questions on your part. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Sarah took a deep breath and released it. “I would greatly…_appreciate _it if you told me.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, Precious. I know you’d appreciate it, but I won’t tell you, regardless,” he held up a hand when Sarah opened her mouth to argue, “I _will _tell you that he is not dead and not so incapacitated that his life cannot go on the way to which he is accustomed. You’ll have to be satisfied with that.”

Sarah huffed. “I understand that what I did was…irresponsible. And that I have a significant role to play in this upcoming war – especially concerning your kingdom’s victory. I’m aware of how important your kingdom must be to you.” Jareth was silent, allowing her to go on. “I also get the feeling that there’s…_more _involving your antipathy towards Enze and Sothy. I think that there’s something you and Sabine haven’t told me.”

Jareth’s lips thinned. “Observant, aren’t you?” She was silent.

He continued, “You’re correct to suspect that there is another, more personal reason for my hatred of Enze, specifically.” Sarah raised her eyebrows, ready to hear the reason.

He grinned – it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re just not correct in assuming that I’d tell you.”

She rolled her eyes and glared at him. Jareth seemed to take that as an invitation to begin their lesson.

They started with more doors – stone versus wood, different charms, etc. – and then Jareth announced that they were going to move on to strengthening her compulsion resistance. He started rolling up his sleeves, and rather than focusing on _that _Sarah decided to bring up something else that had been bothering her.

“Jareth,” He looked up. “When Sabine said that you’d dismissed some of your courtiers and staff when I arrived…is that true?”

He nodded. “It is. Mahalia and I decided that having the full court here might be…overwhelming for you.”

“How many people make up the _full court_?”

He looked up and to the side, thinking. “I’d say about five to seven families at a given time. Plus their personal staff…so let’s say…anywhere from two-hundred to three-hundred and fifty people?”

Sarah sucked in a breath. That _would _have been overwhelming. Instead of dwelling on the unexpected gratitude she had for Jareth and Mahalia’s courtesy, she went with another question.

“So why not bring them back?”

Jareth’s face held a look of surprise. “You want me to bring back my full court?”

She shrugged. “I’m somewhat settled by now, and yesterday’s field trip only proved that I need more interaction with the fae. I can put what I’m learning to use in what I would assume is a…more friendly environment.”

He raised his brows. “Perhaps more friendly than my markets, but I wouldn’t necessarily call the courtiers _friendly._”

Sarah waited, watching him.

He relented. “I suppose I can call back two or three families and see how that goes.”

Sarah bowed in a mocking gesture. “My gratitude, Your Majesty.”

Jareth laughed – a genuine laugh. Sarah was relieved to hear it. “Let’s see how grateful you are after our compulsion lesson.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: A party!
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a looong chapter, folks. Smut at the end, word to the wise.

Sarah was sitting at breakfast, the first one to arrive that morning. Despite waking up early enough to be there before everyone else, she was _exhausted. _Jareth’s version of compulsion training was so, very much worse than Sabine’s. Or better. She supposed her outlook may change once she saw results.

As it stood, Sarah’s mind felt as though it had been wrung like an old sponge.

Jareth had tirelessly instructed her on using mental shields – something humans could, apparently, use with or without magic. She had never considered putting a barrier around her mind, and it took a significant amount of mental strength to do so.

It was like meditating or astral projecting – Sarah had always scoffed at both of those things. She had little discipline, mental or otherwise.

Sabine had hinted at this, when they’d practiced together, but she was way too easy-going to be an effective instructor in that area. Sarah wondered how she taught her college classes in the Above; she thought back to meeting Sabine’s students and understood why she’d been so popular, now. She probably accepted late work and submissions up until the end of the semester.

While she was still smiling slightly at the idea of Sabine being such a sucker-professor, Jareth walked in and sat down across from her. He took note of the remnant smile on her face.

“I wouldn’t have thought you’d be so happy after your training yesterday. Or to see me in general,” he winked.

Sarah rolled her eyes and winced as the action drew attention to her headache. She took a sip of coffee before replying.

“I was thinking about something funny involving Sabine, Your _Royal _Highness. Not you – I’m still mad at you for putting me through hell yesterday. Maybe the smile is an early sign of senility.”

Jareth paused midway through pouring cream into his cup. “Why the formality, Sarah? You’ve used my name a number of times.” His smile was lascivious.

Sarah narrowed her eyes. “I wouldn’t want to break any royal decorum. Consider this me turning over a new leaf.” She was being sarcastic, but she didn’t want Jareth knowing how much he affected her.

He stared at her for a moment, making her squirm, before replying. “Yes, using my title in combination with rolling your lovely eyes certainly implies a new sense of contrition. Though you’re not _technically _my subject. I’ll let any uses of my given name slide.”

He seemed to be teasing her, but she couldn’t be sure. “If you hear any of my courtiers using anything other than _Your Royal Highness _to refer to me, I’ll have to demonstrate my ruthlessness in front of you.”

Sarah’s mouth popped open. “You invited them back?”

“As I’ve stated before: I’m your willing slave.”

Sabine and Mahalia walked in at that moment, together. Sarah nodded at them in greeting before turning her attention back to Jareth. “When are they coming back?”

Mahalia raised an eyebrow in question. Jareth gave her a glance, “At Sarah’s request for more…contact with our kind, I invited the Nilsi, Magnus, and Lutyn families back to court for the time being.”

Sarah spoke again, “Why did you invite those families, in particular?”

Mahalia answered. “I would assume it’s because those families are the most important, strategically, for our war against Hiems and Mua He.”

Jareth nodded. “They are all very wealthy families, one is a very old family, and another has two of our best generals. I’m sure Mahalia will be happy to have them back.”

Sabine spoke up, “Will Lin be coming back?”

Jareth nodded, slowly, as if unsure whether he should answer at all.

Sabine’s smile became beatific. “I’m sure Sarah will love him…he’s always a good time.” Her smile turned suggestive.

Sarah looked at Sabine, “What do you _mean _by that, Sab?” _What game are you playing?_

“He’s a shameless flirt and he’s fun about it. Reminds me of Natalie’s last ex – not always serious about the flirting but at least he has a personality.” She made a show of examining her nails.

Sarah laughed, remembering Natalie’s ex. He _had _been fun.

Jareth’s expression turned imperious. “I’ll be sure to introduce him to you. I’d never want to prevent you two from a good time_._” Sabine simply smirked in response. Sarah lifted a brow.

Jareth continued. “They’ll begin arriving tomorrow. I’ve been told that I must host a dinner of some sort,” he turned to Mahalia.

She shrugged. “It’s good politics, Jareth.”

He gave her a look of doubt. “That will be the night after tomorrow, I suppose. Sabine, I will leave you in charge of making sure Sarah has an appropriate dress.”

Sabine brightened at that. “It would be my _pleasure_,” she shot Sarah a look and waggled her eyebrows.

Jareth went on, “In the meantime, Sarah, we’ll continue your lessons. You can feel free to take your other meals with Sabine, or alone, but I’d encourage you not to seek out any of the nobles before we have this formal dinner. It’ll be…easier if we can introduce you, first.”

“Do they know I’m here? Who I even am?” Sarah asked.

Jareth took a sip of his coffee. “They know who you are and that you defeated the labyrinth – they just don’t know that you’ve come back Underground,” he looked to Mahalia. “We didn’t inform them of _why _they had to vacate the castle.”

He sat back in his chair and paused for a moment. “They also don’t know that you’re here to help us open the labyrinth during Midwinter. I’d prefer to keep that between us, for now.” He gave Sarah and Sabine a serious look. They both nodded.

“Wonderful.” He stood up and made to leave. “Sarah, I’ll see you at our lesson in an hour,” he threw the words over his shoulder as he breezed past them and out the door.

-

Sarah and Sabine stood in Sabine’s rooms – in front of her ornate mirror. It was about three times the size of Sarah’s. She wondered how Sabine had swung that. Or magicked it.

Jareth’s formal dinner was tonight, and Sarah wore an evening gown of heavy black silk. It was strapless – the bodice had some kind of built-in corset – and the skirt was full. There were deep red flowers embroidered on the material with intricate glass beading. A thin, black ribbon was tied at the waist.

She was glad that Sabine had seemed to account for her tastes when she picked out the dress. In contrast, Sabine’s was…a riot of tulle. It was a dusty pink color and lightly pleated at the skirt. The bodice had gold beading running across it. The neckline and waist were trimmed with a thin slash of burgundy velvet.

She’d finished everything off with deep wine-red lipstick that was almost purple. Sarah wore the true-red lipstick that she’d stolen from Sabine ages ago. She felt like an imposter.

“Well,” Sabine began. “This will be…interesting.”

Sarah gave a small laugh. “Don’t sound too excited, Sabine.”

She gave Sarah a rueful smile back. “I think it’ll be a bit fun, but watch yourself around Jareth’s court. Like I said, Lin is cool, but they’re all very jaded and old.”

Sarah smirked. “You’re _just _as old as they are, Sab.”

“Some of them, I guess – some are definitely older. I don’t _feel _five-hundred years old,” she sighed dramatically and leaned back into her small love-seat. It looked like a fainting couch from the late-19th century.

Sarah just rolled her eyes and arranged her hair in the mirror.

“You know, I’m going to make sure you meet Lin tonight. It’ll make Jareth absolutely _seethe _with jealousy. I’d love to see it.”

Sarah furrowed her brow. “I’m not really interested in making _anyone _jealous – besides, I doubt he would be. I was actually hoping to stick with you or Mahalia. Even Thale, if he’s around.”

Sabine sat up straighter. “Thale? I didn’t know you two were well-acquainted.”

Sarah paused, wondering if she should tell Sabine about her walk after the incident at the Goblin Markets. She decided it couldn’t hurt. “I actually took a walk the other day when we came back from the markets. I got a bit lost and hung around the gardens on the northern side of the castle. Thale found me and we talked a bit. Then he walked me back to my rooms. He’s nice.”

Sabine studied Sarah’s face – seeming more intense and focused than she had their entire time Underground. “He is nice – he’s very loyal to Jareth, though…he prefers men but if you flirt a bit with _him, _that could work as well.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Sab! I know you must be bored here, or something, but I’m not going to throw myself at Thale – or anyone else – for your amusement.”

Sabine smiled slowly. “Just like you didn’t throw yourself at Jareth?”

“How did you know about that?” Sarah paled. _Had Jareth told her?_

Sabine laughed, delighted. “I didn’t know it – I was just very sure. But you confirmed it for me, darling.” She winked. Sarah groaned.

“Christ.”

“I hope it was good – scratch that. I _know _it was good, but I’m sure the emotional side of things is lacking.” She met Sarah’s eyes in the mirror. “On both your parts.”

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to analyze whatever I’ve got going on with Jareth. I’ll bring up your absolutely _fraught _relationship with poor Mahalia.”

Sabine sniffed, slightly cowed. “Yes, well. No need to make threats, Sarah.”

Sarah checked the clock on Sabine’s wall. “Don’t force my hand, _Sab. _Let’s get a move-on. It’s almost time for dinner.”

-

Sarah and Sabine hurried to the hall outside of Jareth’s ballroom – the room he and Sarah had been practicing magic in the past week. Mahalia had told them to meet her outside so that she and Jareth could formally introduce them. Sarah felt a pang of anxiety run through her.

Jareth had told Sarah, earlier in the afternoon, to make sure her mental shields were up throughout the dinner. She wasn’t completely confident in her mental focus – though she _was _improving.

They spotted Mahalia, wearing formal and intricate armor, just outside the ballroom door. Mahalia nodded to them in greeting. “Sabine, Sarah. When I open the doors, head to Jareth’s table and sit to his left and right, respectively. He’ll introduce you.”

Sarah gave a curt nod and looked to Sabine, who seemed to be summoning her best princess persona. She straightened her shoulders and threw her hair back. She looked a foot taller.

Mahalia smiled and opened the doors. Sabine led the way, Sarah following closely behind. Mahalia brought up the rear.

Sarah tried not to glance around too often, but she couldn’t resist the urge. Jareth’s table was at the far end of the ballroom, on a platform a bit higher than the others.

Two large tables were in front of his – they sat about six people each. The empty space in the room’s center made Sarah guess that there would be dancing, later. She winced at that. Servants milled about, pouring wine and fetching water.

The guests looked to Sarah and Sabine curiously. Sarah spotted Thale seated next to a woman with red hair. He smiled at her; she smiled back, inclining her head.

Sabine made her way to Jareth’s left and sat down gracefully. Sarah went to his right and sat slowly, trying to make sure her mental shields were intact – they seemed to be holding up. Mahalia sat next to Sabine.

Jareth stood and addressed his court. “Lords and Ladies,” he began, smiling. “I’d like to introduce my two newest guests. Surely you all remember the Lady Sabine, former Princess of Hiems.”

There was a murmur among them. “I’d also like to introduce the Lady Sarah Williams, champion of my labyrinth. She has so graciously decided to join us once again.” The murmur became slightly louder. Jareth continued. “I’d like to thank you all for returning to court – please enjoy yourselves.” He sat down and lifted his wineglass.

His court members lifted theirs in return, and dinner began.

Jareth turned slightly to Sarah. “Once they begin finishing their meals, they’ll come up here to speak with you – try not to discuss the war or what happened at the market, if they know about it and decide to bring it up. Keep your shields up…if they ask directly about why you’re here try to be noncommittal. They shouldn’t know about the memory-loss issue, since none of them have much interaction with the human realm. You could say the Above had become dull, you were languishing there, pining for me –”

Sarah interrupted him by elbowing him under the table and coughing. “As if anyone would believe something that ridiculous, Jareth.”

He smiled and drank from his glass, “You wound me, Precious. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that night you begged me to fuck you was just a very…vivid dream.”

Sarah truly choked on her wine at that. Neither of them had ever directly referred to the night they had sex. “I did _not _beg you to _fuck _me,” she whisper-shrieked.

Jareth’s expression was mild, but his eyes were lit with humor. “Really? Perhaps we remember the night differently, then. I always thought I had a sharp memory.”

Sarah took a big gulp of her wine. “Jesus Christ.”

Jareth smirked but kept speaking, “By the way, I gave you regular wine, but if you see this,” he held out his glass for her to see, “it’s fairy wine. Avoid it unless you’d like to forget this entire night. I do hope you don’t become that desperate.”

Sarah looked at his wine. It was similar to her own drink, but had somewhat of a sheen to it. It wasn’t sparkly, but it almost seemed to glow. She was confident she could avoid it…but if Jareth kept bringing _that _night up…she might take a swig.

She decided to ignore how hot her face was and get some information out of him. “Why don’t you want your court – the families you trust the most – to know that I’m here to help with the Midwinter ceremony?”

“I don’t trust these families, actually. I just consider them the best-equipped to help us fight against Enze and Sothy. Consider this period…a test-run of when we attempt to win outside allies at Midwinter.”

He paused for a moment, as if deciding how much he would tell her. “We are at an advantage in that no one is aware of the powers you received from the labyrinth. You are an asset to me and my kingdom, and this surprise is good for us. On the other hand, the fact that I cannot open the inner recesses of the labyrinth on my own is a disadvantage. I would sincerely hope that the others do not learn of that.”

Sarah considered for a moment. “You’re not sure that I can open the labyrinth.” It wasn’t a question, but he nodded in affirmation anyway.

“Will we…enter the labyrinth at some point…to test my abilities? Before the ceremony?” She would avoid her nightmare coming true at almost any cost.

Jareth nodded again. “Yes, I think we should. There is also the added variable that the labyrinth is somewhat sentient and may not be in the…mood to open for us when we test your abilities.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “Then what’s stopping it from being in a bad mood during the ceremony?”

“The magic within should prevent that. It will be strong magic, and a lot of it, so I would imagine the labyrinth would _want _to release it.”

“But you’re not sure,” Sarah said slowly.

Jareth’s eyes turned hard. “Unfortunately, the only people who would have been able to know with any certainty are not alive.”

Sarah wanted to ask more about _that _but they were interrupted by Thale and the red-haired woman who had been sitting beside him. They walked up the platform and bowed low to Jareth. 

“Your Majesty. My sister and I wish to thank you for inviting our family back to court and hosting this dinner.”

Jareth smiled, “I am always happy to host the Nilsi family. Thale, Lynd,” he nodded to the woman, “you are most welcome.”

Thale turned to Sarah. “Lady Sarah, it’s a pleasure to see you again. I have not forgotten that I promised to show you the library.” He gave a charming smile and Sarah was happy to return it. She saw Jareth raise a brow next to her, but ignored it.

“The pleasure is mine, Thale. I’ve been busy recently, but I’m sure I’ll have time to visit the library with you soon.” She turned her attention to his sister. “Did I hear your name is Lynd? It’s very nice to meet you.”

Lynd nodded. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Lady Sarah. Thale has told me much about you,” Sarah shot him a teasing smile. “I read palms, Lady Sarah. Perhaps you would grant me the honor of reading yours?”

Sarah was slightly taken aback, but kept her smile. “Of course, Lynd. I would love that.”

Brother and sister bowed their heads once again and made their way to speak with Sabine and Mahalia.

Sarah heard Jareth shift next to her. “Now, Sarah – when did you have time to run into Thale and make plans to visit my library? You’ve been so _busy_.”

She was saved from replying when another group came to introduce themselves and thank Jareth. What followed was an assembly line of curious courtiers whose names Sarah forgot almost immediately. She did, however, remember to focus when Lin presented himself, along with his twin brother Ben.

Lin was indeed a flirt – he practically bounded up the dais to grab Sarah’s hand and kiss it in a courtly gesture that would typically make her gag but came across as endearing, on his part. His brother was quiet, but polite. He seemed cunning – his eyes darted everywhere and seemed to pay attention especially to Mahalia and Sabine.

After what felt like ages of small-talk, expressed gratitude, and introductions, Jareth stood and gave the signal for music and dancing to begin. Before he could say anything to her, Sarah grabbed Sabine and beelined for one of the alcoves to the side.

Sabine followed, but gave Sarah a quizzical look once they’d reached the bench.

“Sorry, Sab. Jareth was giving me the third-degree and I needed a break.”

Sabine laughed. “Well, at least let me grab another drink. I’ll get you one too.”

“Not the fairy wine!” She called after her. She sat and arranged her skirts around her, somewhat awkwardly.

She looked up and saw Lynd walking towards her, smiling. “Lady Sarah,” she inclined her head.

“Hello, Lynd. Please just call me Sarah. The title takes too much getting used to.”

Lynd laughed, “Of course, Sarah.”

Sarah leaned forward, “So, how did you come to read palms?”

“Bit of a family trade. All the women learn when we’re quite young…may I?” She gestured to Sarah’s right hand.

Sarah nodded and held it out. Sabine came back with their drinks and shot Sarah a look of disapproval when she saw what they were doing. Sarah shrugged and sipped her wine.

Lynd held Sarah’s palm in her hand and traced the lines running across it.

“Hmmm,” she looked up. “You’ve had a lot of unexpected things happen to you, in your life.”

Sabine scoffed. Sarah smiled, slightly. “I certainly have. Hence being _here_.”

Lynd smirked. “This is but one unexpected life-turn. You will have more, and relatively soon.”

Sarah looked at Lynd dubiously. She wasn’t sure how much more surprise she could take.

Lynd continued. “You have a very prominent girdle of Venus – just here,” she pointed to the lines connecting Sarah’s middle and ring fingers. “Which means you’re really sensitive to your own feelings and the feelings of those around you. You may feel that you have to cultivate a mask to deal with all the emotions you feel daily. A talented performer.” She smiled.

Sarah made a noncommittal noise at that.

“The girdle is more prominent on your right hand – you’re right-handed, yes?” Sarah nodded. “This means that most of your emotional trauma happened around the beginning of your adolescence or adult life – at about fifteen or sixteen. It was trauma of circumstance – not necessarily preordained.”

Lynd continued to look at Sarah’s palm, turning it to catch the light. “You’ve sought this kind of knowledge before?”

Sarah gave her a confused look, “What kind of knowledge do you mean?”

“Premonitions, the future, the metaphysical, I suppose.”

Sarah remembered her visit to the Cuban woman in southern California. “Oh yes – when I was about twenty-one or so.”

Lynd looked at her head-on. “If you remember what that reader told you – hold it close to you. Follow their advice.”

Sarah nodded. She did remember the woman in white’s advice, but it had seemed so general. Pray to Saint Anthony? She wasn’t sure a Catholic saint could do much for her in the Underground.

Lynd caught her attention once again when she spoke, “That being said, the future is _never _set in stone, Sarah. Certain things are more likely to happen, of course, but you may always change your future. Even here.”

Sabine snorted. “Well if _that _ain’t the truth. Especially when you think you’re going to live in one place and end up coming down here, eh Sarah?”

Sarah sensed Sabine was becoming more than a bit bitter as the night wore on. She could see how being back here, especially in a court environment, would remind Sabine of her time with her horrible family.

She also suspected Sabine was getting more and more drunk. She’d been knocking back that fairy wine all night – before and after the dancing had begun. Sarah had lost count of how many she’d had. _Time to excuse ourselves_, she thought. Sarah wasn’t completely sober, herself.

“Sab, will you show me to the nearest bathroom?” She turned to Lynd, mock-apologetically. “Thank you for the reading, Lynd. It was really illuminating…if you’ll excuse us…?”

Lynd glanced to Sabine slyly. “Of course, Sarah. It was my pleasure.”

-

The two women walked towards the ballroom’s exit. Sarah was mainly looking for Mahalia, confident that the commander would take care of Sabine.

They found her a few moments later, drinking fairy wine and watching the dancers in the middle of the room. She looked up when they came in her line of sight, frowning when she took in Sabine’s slightly-disheveled appearance.

Sarah took her arm from Sabine’s shoulders. “Mahalia – I’m not sure how much she’s had to drink, but she seems pretty drunk right now. Can fae get sick from this?”

Mahalia smiled a bit. “No, Sarah. But they _can _get a hangover. I’m sure Sabine will regret this come morning. I’ll take her to her rooms.” She pushed off the wall and poofed her wineglass away. Sarah was shocked – she had never seen Mahalia perform magic before; she didn’t think she could do it so casually.

Sabine giggled. The bitterness was gone, for now. “Lia, are you taking me to my room?”

Mahalia rolled her eyes. “Yes, Sabine, let’s go.” She put her arm around Sabine’s shoulders and led her away.

Sarah watched them go, a bit at a loss for what to do next. She didn’t want to run into Jareth and risk a repeat of their conversation at dinner. She didn’t particularly want to head to her room yet, either. Just as she turned, she came face-to-face with Lin.

His skin was a deep bronze and his dark hair was cut short – Sarah could see the curl in it, though. He smiled, showing his perfect teeth.

“Lady Sarah,” he held out his hand. “Would you care to dance with me? I’ve been waiting to ask you all evening.”

Sarah smiled despite herself and took his hand, letting him lead her to the room’s center. He was _handsome. _And so charming. And pleasant. A dance with him was a great idea.

He led her in a slow and simple waltz; Sarah could tell he was a skilled dancer – he made it seem effortless. After a moment of silence, Lin looked down and spoke.

“I’m curious, Lady Sarah, as to why you decided to come back to us Underground after all this time.”

Sarah stiffened slightly, making sure her mental shields were still up. They were – but she was beginning to feel tired. She tried to smile and make it seem genuine, “Oh, the Above starts to seem very dull after interacting with the fae.”

He smiled back, but she didn’t think he bought it. She hadn’t noticed how cunning _his _eyes were – he was more similar to his brother, Ben, than she’d originally thought. He just had more charm.

“Undoubtedly,” he agreed, easily. “Though I am wondering how you’d remember us enough to find the human realm dull – especially since I was under the impression that humans’ memories were erased once they returned Above.”

Sarah could feel the blood leave her face – she had no idea what to say next. The few glasses of wine she’d had to drink weren’t helping much, either. For some reason, Fate decided to be kind to her; she saw Jareth’s blond hair come up behind Lin.

He tapped the man on his shoulder. “Lin, would you mind terribly if I danced with my champion?”

Lin released her and turned with a smile – the tight lines around his eyes were the only giveaway that it was fake. “Of course, Your Highness,” he glanced at Sarah. “It was a pleasure, Lady Sarah. Until next time,” he bowed low. Sarah could only manage a nod and a small smile of her own.

The relief she felt was palpable – Jareth smirked. “Bit off more than you can chew with Lin, Precious?”

She closed her eyes and leaned into him – still annoyed about earlier but grateful for his intervention. “Yes, Jareth. The man is a spider – a very handsome one – who seems to know that humans lose their memories when they leave the Underground.”

Jareth seemed mildly shocked, to his credit. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to come up with a better reason for your being here, then. Perhaps you can research a bit when you visit the library with Thale, hmm?”

Sarah opened her eyes and glared. “Don’t provoke me, Jareth. I’m not in the mood.”

The truth was, she wasn’t in the mood to argue. She _was _in the mood for other things, however. Jareth’s closeness wasn’t helping. She could feel his arms holding her tightly – one of his hands was tracing patterns at her waist as they danced. She looked up at him; he was smirking, as if he knew what she was thinking about.

“Not in the mood? Shall I take you back to your rooms, then?”

Her eyes flickered from his eyes to his lips. “Yes,” she replied. He gripped her tighter.

In a flash, they were in her bedroom – right next to the small couch and in front of her bed. She didn’t move away from him and brought a hand up to his face, tracing his lips. She rose up to kiss him – he met her halfway. The kiss was rushed, slightly messy as she immediately opened her mouth and deepened it.

Jareth sat down on the couch, bringing her down to straddle him. She kept kissing him, removing his jacket and moving her hands underneath his shirt to feel the skin beneath. Jareth widened his knees and pulled her down closer – she gasped when she felt his arousal against her.

She nipped at his lips and broke off the kiss, moving down his body so she was on her knees in front of him. She undid the laces of his trousers and freed his length.

Sarah held his erection in her hands and licked him from base to tip. She made another pass, moving to lick behind his balls and then taking them into her mouth, sucking. He let out a shaky breath.

She moved up slightly and took his cock in her mouth, forming a tight ring with her lips and swirling her tongue around the head. She slowly moved her hands to splay on his thighs and began bobbing her head up and down in earnest, sucking him and looking up into his face.

He stared back – both pupils almost matching, blown wide. His left hand threaded through her hair, and she felt a slight pressure on the back of her head, encouraging her. Then, after a moment, his face turned steely with resolve. He moved both hands to her shoulders and pulled her off of him.

“If this is happening again, we’re going to do it my way.”

He pushed her, lightly, so she fell back onto her bed. He sat back on the couch, his pants still open, cock still out, eyes on her.

“Undress, slowly.”

Sarah took in a deep breath and pushed off the bed to take off her dress. She got rid of the ribbon around her waist first, then unzipped from the back, taking her time. Jareth kept his eyes on her, focused. She let the dress fall and pool in front of the bed. Then she unhooked her bra and stepped out of her panties. She kept her shoes on.

“On the bed. Open your legs – yes, like that. Good girl.” She could see him stroking himself slowly. He went on, “Touch yourself, Sarah.”

She did as he said, spreading her legs wider and bringing her hands to her center. She closed her eyes and brought two fingers to her clit, rubbing in tight circles. With her other hand, she inserted one finger, then two. She heard Jareth curse in front of her.

All of a sudden, there was a loud knocking coming from her door. Sarah sat bolt upright and grabbed her dress to cover herself. Jareth looked at her and hastily did up his trousers.

“Your Majesty?” Came a voice from outside.

Sarah’s eyes were wide – _they knew he was in her room? Good God._

Jareth cleared his throat, “A moment, Ril.” He stood up and looked again at Sarah, who now had her dress half-zipped and was avoiding eye contact.

He stepped closer and lifted her chin so she was forced to look him in the eye. He looked down at her for a moment, then bent and brushed his lips across hers – it was barely a kiss, and by the time Sarah had closed her eyes, he had backed away and was heading to the door.

Sarah watched him go and, once she was sure she was alone, took her dress and shoes off and headed to her bathroom.


	14. Chapter 14

** _Goblin Kingdom, one week ago _ **

“Then, imp, there will be a distraction in the markets. The labyrinth’s champion will wander to your stall. You will compel her. Make sure there are witnesses on the margins, but do not allow them to help her.”

The small, elderly fae bowed low and nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. How shall I compel the Champion? To what purpose?”

“Be creative – come up with something dramatic but…not harmful.”

The imp nodded once again. “I will endeavor to do so, Your Majesty.” He bowed and made ready to exit the throne room. As he turned his back, the King called out.

“Oh, and – imp. I’m sure you are aware of the consequences should this deception become common knowledge. Or reach anyone outside of this private meeting.”

He swallowed nervously and nodded. “I do, Your Majesty. It will not reach anyone’s ears but your own.” He looked to the woman waiting at the doors. “And your Commander’s.”

Jareth nodded and smiled, head resting on his hand and sharp teeth showing.

Mahalia opened the doors for the imp to pass, assessing him with her cold eyes – making him more nervous.

He looked once again to the King sprawled on the throne, walked past the Commander, and left the room.

The King straightened and looked to Mahalia, "When you speak to Sabine, make sure your suggestion for a trip to the markets...sounds natural."

** _Goblin Kingdom, present_ **

Sarah woke up before dawn and, having spent most of the night tossing and turning anyway, decided to go on another walk. She hoped she wouldn’t run into any of Jareth’s courtiers – or Jareth himself – but she was too keyed up from the night before to think about the consequences much.

She pulled on a sweater made out of some sort of heavy material and a pair of trousers. She haphazardly brushed her hair and stepped outside her rooms.

The castle was quiet – moonlight bathed the hallways and Sarah felt the predawn silence calm and soothe her.

Making her way to the garden, she walked down the steps and saw a figure running in the distance. The figure appeared to have spotted her as well; they began to move towards her.

Sarah prepared herself for a member of Jareth’s court; she tried to summon her mental shields and empty her mind of her racing, incriminating thoughts.

It was Mahalia.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. The commander ran up to her. “Good morning, Sarah.”

“Morning, Mahalia. How are you? How’s Sabine?” Sarah hoped she wouldn’t be too hungover today.

Mahalia’s eyes were tired, but she gave a smile. “I’m fine…just running the castle perimeter before breakfast. Sabine is fine as well. Well, she was when I left her. Who knows what she’ll suffer when she wakes up.”

Sarah laughed, breaking the heavy silence surrounding the garden as the sun began to rise. “Is fairy wine really that potent?”

“It can be – for your kind, especially. For fae, it’s strong but not awful. Sabine hasn’t had any in quite some time, though. I think the atmosphere last night drove her to drink more than she normally would.”

Sarah nodded. She’d thought the same thing. Something occurred to her…she could try to pry some information out of Mahalia.

She’d have to be a bit devious about it. She strengthened her mental shields and tried to put on her best actress façade.

“Mahalia, why does Jareth hate Sabine’s family so much? What happened to prompt the last war?”

Mahalia looked at Sarah warily. “I think that may be something you should ask Jareth yourself.”

Sarah gave Mahalia a sympathetic look, nodding again. “Of course, you’re right – he was actually just about to tell me last night, but he was called away on something urgent and had to leave my rooms…” she trailed off, hoping Mahalia wasn’t aware of why _exactly _she’d been with Jareth.

She probably knew, though. Sarah supposed that was fine.

Maybe if Mahalia thought they were sleeping together, she’d think they’d established some kind of mutual intimacy that wasn’t just physical. An intimacy that allowed Mahalia to speak to Sarah about Jareth’s personal vendettas.

Mahalia studied Sarah for a moment – reminding her of Sabine the day before, when they’d been getting ready for the dinner and talked about Thale. Her piercing eyes searched; they must have found what they were looking for. She answered.

“Sabine’s father and brother slaughtered Jareth’s entire family just before the last war.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. She’d expected something of that nature – but this sounded much worse. “His entire family? How many were there?”

“His father – he’d been the Goblin King at the time – his mother, his brother, and two sisters. Enze and Laurent left Jareth alive because he was in another kingdom at the time and they knew if they didn’t leave _one _of the Goblin Kingdom’s heirs alive, they’d be in trouble with the entire realm.”

Sarah swallowed, shocked. “Was Jareth even supposed to become king?”

Mahalia shook her head. “No, he wasn’t. I’m assuming Sabine’s told you a bit about her past – and his? He was the quintessential spare son – he drank and danced and whored and wasted his parents’ money for centuries. That slaughter of his family was one of the first times he ever had to take a semblance of responsibility.”

“That must have been…quite a transition for him…” she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Mahalia nodded. “It was. We were very lucky we didn’t lose that war. We had many allies, and I’d been a general in his father’s armies for a long time. Sabine’s spying also helped immensely. Jareth was consumed with anger. I think much of him still is.”

“I get the feeling that he would do anything to win _this _war.”

Mahalia inclined her head. “That is a fair assessment. He would also do anything to personally kill Enze, I believe. This war may allow him the opportunity,” she paused, for a moment. “He allowed me to kill Laurent, because of my relationship with Sabine. But he was furious when Enze escaped and left the fighting so quickly.”

Sarah had looked away but turned her head sharply to Mahalia’s. “You don’t think he’d…do anything very rash in order to defeat and kill Enze this time?”

Mahalia’s gaze shifted and she looked out into the garden. “I can’t be sure about _anything _Jareth would do. But I think revenge may be his most profound goal and ardent hope.”

-

Sarah tied the laces of her boots and checked her reflection in the mirror. She was supposed to meet Jareth in fifteen minutes for their training.

Breakfast hadn’t been very awkward; mostly Sarah wondered why Jareth had been called away the night before. She wasn’t letting herself dwell on their odd relationship – she just knew they were both attracted to one another. And Jareth was…arguably holding her and Sabine captive and making them help him fight a fairy war. Sarah wondered what her therapist Above would have to say to that.

Jareth’s courtiers hadn’t been invited to breakfast – he said there would be more formal dinners and some court activities – but he wanted her to train more and come up with effective answers to any potential questions she may be asked. Much like the questions Lin had asked her last night.

She hadn’t been prepared for the fact that Lin _apparently _knew humans lost their memories when they returned Above.

She only hoped she hadn’t ruined anything before the war had even started – especially because she knew how profoundly Jareth wished to beat Enze and Sothy.

Now that she knew the reason for Jareth’s vendetta, she felt slightly ashamed for manipulating Mahalia for the truth. The real story was more than a bit depressing – and she hadn’t even gotten details. She hoped Jareth would never find out about her prying.

She left her rooms with five minutes to spare. Jareth was waiting outside the ballroom – arms crossed and foot tapping. Sarah rolled her eyes at his impatience.

Jareth walked up to her and grabbed her hand – she had to stop from gasping at how suddenly he’d moved towards her. He smirked. “We’re going to open the labyrinth today, Precious.”

They disappeared from the hallway and appeared within the labyrinth – just outside a pair of stone doors that looked the same as the ones she’d seen in her nightmare the other week.

She looked to Jareth, who stared back. She took a deep breath.

“I’m assuming that these doors don’t…open the same way as the ones we’ve been practicing on.”

He nodded. “That’s right. These will not have a simple charm holding them closed – it’s powerful magic. _But _there is also powerful magic _behind _those doors. If you imagine that you’re allowing that magic to be set free…you should be able to open one of them.”

“Will it be all right if the magic is released before Midwinter?”

He stepped forward, slightly. “It won’t leave the labyrinth, yet. The solstice must occur for that to happen.”

Sarah jerked her head and turned back to the doors. She walked towards them – she could feel the magic that Jareth was referring to. The area around her hummed with it.

She walked close and held her hands out to the stone. She tried to concentrate and focus on the magic behind the doors; just like Jareth had told her.

Nothing happened.

She could feel a sense of panic forming in the back of her throat, closing it up. _What if this happens during the ceremony? _She couldn’t breathe.

Jareth spoke behind her. “_Focus, _Sarah. Don’t lose sight of your goal – don’t think about failure. Just do what you need to do.”

It was easy for him to say. He wouldn’t have people watching him, expecting him to open a sentient maze’s ginormous doors. _I can’t do this._

Jareth spoke again, sharply. “Sarah – I can feel your panic. _Concentrate. _The labyrinth gave these powers to you. That has _never _happened. It can only be you – you can do this.”

She tried to listen to his words and tried to breathe. Her throat was easing slowly and the air was coming back to her faster.

She suddenly remembered the way her father had looked – in her dream. She remembered his sneer, his cutting words, his elaborate Underground clothing. It made the panic come back full-force and she felt something building inside her; it was something like desperation.

Her hands turned to claws on the stone doors; she pressed down and concentrated as hard as she could. _Please._

One door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting a note to ask if anyone would like to beta? Not a huge deal but it would help & I’d love to have someone to bounce around ideas w!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that I love flashbacks?

Sarah was present, but not there. She knew that she shouldn’t bear witness to this– yet here she was, regardless. She continued to watch the scene unfold; she understood she couldn’t do much else.

Jareth stood, flanked by large guards in black armor. Mahalia was behind him, seated on an elaborate chair – it was one of five lined up against the backdrop of a platform. The platform seemed hastily made – they were in the open and it was made from wood.

Sarah looked above her head, to the sky. It was overcast, but the day couldn’t be far after dawn. The sun was weak and new overhead behind the clouds. She turned her attention back to the platform. She was part of a large crowd, silent and watching.

In front of Jareth there were four men, kneeling. Their hands were bound behind their backs in what looked to be iron shackles. Three of their heads were bowed, but one stared defiantly at the Goblin King. He was speaking.

“Prince Ja – _Your Highness. _This was an ambush – we had _no _idea that Laurent and Enze would be able to enter the castle. We executed the men who were working for Hiems. Your family was avenged –”

Jareth interrupted with a snarl, “Do _not _speak to me about vengeance and your pitiful attempt at avenging the royal family. It does not measure up, I can assure you, Commander,” he smiled a feral smile. “I should probably say _former _Commander.”

He turned his face to the crowd. For a moment, Sarah was terrified that he would see _her. _His eyes passed over her as if she didn’t exist. She supposed she didn’t.

“Today, these men will die for the crime of incompetence. Sheer incompetence and the absolute inability to protect those whom they swore to defend. Some slept, some were unaware, and some fought inadequately while the Goblin King, his Queen, and his heirs were slaughtered and tortured within their own castle,” his eyes held the most emotion she’d ever seen from him – she could tell he was holding himself in check.

“I do hope you all enjoy this as much as I most certainly will.” He gave a small mocking bow with a flourish of his hand.

The crowd cheered, spat, and moved in a frenzy. Sarah looked around herself and didn’t recognize a soul; she saw little humanity within these creatures’ faces. _I suppose there wouldn’t be anything human within those who are _in_human._

Jareth stepped to the side and motioned for one of his guards to come forward. In the man’s arms was a large sword, gleaming and sharp. Sarah fought the urge to close her eyes.

One by one, the guard sliced through the men’s necks; their blood sprayed and spilled onto the dirt below. Their bodies slumped – one forward, two to the side, and the other fell backwards onto the ground below.

The crowd became a living thing; mania marred their faces and the sounds that came from them spoke of ecstasy, but to Sarah it was profoundly disturbing. She watched it all – cognizant that this was important – this was _real. _Or, it had been. Decades ago. She idly wondered why she didn’t feel sick.

Jareth sported a satisfied smile that did not reach his eyes. As Sarah concentrated and focused, she could see the tight lines around his eyes and mouth; the dark circles that pointed to exhaustion and overwhelming sadness.

“My dearest subjects – does this quench your thirst for the blood of those that murdered your royal family?”

The crowd seemed to scream in the negative as one.

Jareth kept smiling and continued, “No, I did not think that it would. That is why, today, I formally declare war on the Hiems Kingdom and its allies. I declare war on King Laurent and Prince Enze, and anyone who would stand in my way for revenge on those who wrought harm upon the Goblin King and his family.”

The noise began to drown out Jareth’s voice. He paused.

“Effective today, the Goblin Army’s commander will also be my trusted advisor, Mahalia,” he gestured for Mahalia to stand. She stood from her seat and walked to the edge of the dais, alongside Jareth. “She will begin operations against Hiems immediately and put her extensive military experience to work in wreaking havoc upon Enze and Laurent’s kingdom.”

Members of the crowd yelled out together – once again ecstatic. Sarah could see what looked to be _children _running between the voyeurs; there were almost as many people here as there had been at the Goblin Markets.

She shuddered. She looked again to the wooden platform – behind Mahalia, now sitting on the other chairs against the wall, she saw Lin and Ben. The courtiers were also wearing dark armor and sported twin smiles. Their eyes scanned the crowd.

Sarah shrank back. _Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up. _

She felt swallowed by the violence of Jareth’s subjects; their cheers reached her ears so that she couldn’t hear anything else. She kept looking to the dais – suddenly, she made eye contact with Mahalia.

The general’s eyes narrowed and she frowned. Sarah began to panic – then she woke up.

-

She woke up sweating and breathing heavily. Opening the door to the interior of the labyrinth left her feeling exhausted and weak yesterday; Jareth had immediately taken her back to her room where she’d slept for most of the evening and night.

She thought back on her dream and tried to keep it fresh in her mind. She was sure that what she’d seen had been _real _and actually happened, long ago. It must have been what happened directly after Jareth’s family had been killed by Enze and Laurent. She cringed as she remembered the soldiers’ heads being severed from their bodies.

Jareth had seemed so cold, so emotionless, but Sarah recalled the wild look in his eyes and knew that he must have been devastated at the loss of his entire family. She didn’t know if that justified the execution she’d seen.

Sarah had never been a violent person – had tended to avoid violence her entire life, but she realized that she was in a different world now. She didn’t know if she was built for it – if she would cave underneath Underground morality much like Sabine.

Hungry because she hadn’t eaten dinner the night before, Sarah washed and dressed herself before following the wraith to the dining room.

She was the last one there – as she spotted Mahalia, she jumped slightly. She wondered if Mahalia had shared a similar dream, or had actually seen Sarah at the execution long ago. Mahalia didn’t say anything about it.

As they all ate in companionable silence, seemingly at peace for once, Jareth broke it.

“I believe Thale wished to give you a tour of my library, Sarah. I suppose I was remiss in not showing you myself. I pushed our usual lesson back a few hours to allow you two…to take your time,” he smiled mockingly. “A gift for doing so well in the labyrinth yesterday.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes. She could tell he was bothered by his tone. He masked negative feelings with sarcasm and biting remarks. _Is he…actually jealous? _It didn’t amuse her as much as she thought it would. Though it appeared to amuse Sabine and Mahalia, judging by the smirks on both their faces.

She frowned. “As always, I’m grateful, Your Majesty. May I be excused?”

It was his turn to narrow his eyes. “You may. I will see you after your trip to the library.”

She got up and left to find Thale. She didn’t know where exactly he would be, but she wanted to get out of the dining room and away from whatever odd feelings that both she and Jareth were putting out at the moment.

She’d never been particularly attracted to jealousy; she’d experienced it herself, sure, but she felt uncomfortable at the idea of Jareth being jealous of Thale. He had nothing to be jealous about, anyway. They’d slept together – were they anything else?

She didn’t feel like reading into their relationship – the rules were different here. She supposed that included romantic rules as well. She also…still didn’t completely trust Jareth. At the end of the day, she was here against her will and better judgement; she was here to help Jareth win a war.

She wanted Thale to be someone she could turn to for advice or help. Couldn’t she have another ally here? A friend? She figured she needed as many as she could get.

Maybe _that _was what bothered him? He didn’t want one of his loyal advisors to latch onto Sarah – perhaps stumping the loyalty Thale felt towards Jareth? Sarah internally scoffed at that. _Also far-fetched._

She continued to wander until she was near the gardens. She saw Thale and his sister walking around one of the small ponds, talking. She stepped out and walked over to them.

Both turned to look at her and smiled once she got close.

“Hello Sarah,” Lynd took her arm from Thale’s and waved.

“Hi, Lynd!” Sarah felt like masking her prior unease with chirpiness. She hoped she didn’t come off manic.

“Are you ready to visit the library today, Sarah?” Thale raised his brows.

“I am – Jareth gave me the early afternoon off so we could go,” she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

Lynd’s lips twisted in a barely-concealed smile. Thale just laughed.

“Well, then. I guess we’d better take advantage of His Majesty’s generosity.” He managed to say it without a hint of sarcasm.

Lynd inclined her head to Sarah. “My apologies, Sarah. I will have to excuse myself from this outing. I promised Vera’s mother that I’d take her to the Goblin Markets today.”

Sarah shuddered as she remembered her ill-fated trip to the Markets. “Vera…she’s part of the Magnus family, right?”

“She is,” Lynd agreed. “She is very young by our standards and her parents are relieved to be back at court. They think she needs more…socialization.”

“How old is she?”

“Oh, about twenty-two years I believe. She’s certainly the youngest member of court.”

Sarah shook her head and smiled. She supposed Lynd was playing babysitter for Vera. “Well, I’ll be sad to see you go, but hopefully we’ll see each other another day.”

“I’m sure we will,” Lynd smiled and made her way up the small set of steps and into the castle.

Sarah turned to Thale. “So, I suppose this library had better be impressive – the suspense has been _killing_ me.”

Thale’s eyes widened until he realized Sarah was joking. He laughed again.

They began to walk back towards Sarah’s wing of the castle. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. If anything, it’ll be a good place for you to research and learn about our history here. I’m sure you haven’t had much time for that, with all the training you’ve been enduring with the King.”

Sarah considered that – reading about the Underground’s history and culture _may _help ease her fears about Midwinter. Or it might make them worse. Who knew.

She nodded. “That’s really thoughtful, actually. Thank you Thale.”

They stopped outside of an elaborate set of doors about a minute walk away from Sarah’s rooms. Thale pushed them open and they stepped inside.

The library was large and filled with light. Sarah couldn’t even estimate how many books it held, but she figured the number was in the thousands. Stacks upon stacks of books were neatly piled and tucked into shelves; some looked older than anything she’d ever seen outside a museum.

Thale watched her dumbstruck look and urged her forward. “I hope you find the library to your liking, Sarah. Let me show you the section on the Underground’s history and culture.”

They walked further into the room, but Sarah didn’t see an end. As they walked past shelving and alcoves, Sarah caught sight of what looked to be paintings.

“What’s over there?” she asked.

Thale looked where Sarah pointed and frowned. “That is…the royal gallery – a collection of paintings depicting previous Goblin Kings, their wives, and their children.”

Sarah swallowed. She supposed that meant some of those paintings must be of Jareth’s family. She nodded and motioned for them to continue down the hallway.

They stopped in front of two shelves that looked much the same as all the others. Thale gestured to the one on the left. “This will have books about our early history and customs,” he swung his arm to the right. “This shelf begins about five-hundred years ago and is more modern. I will show you the sitting area and leave you to your solitude…and research.” He winked.

Sarah was slightly surprised that Thale would leave her alone so soon, but realized she wanted to be alone, anyway. She wanted to read, but she mostly wanted to sneak back to the royal gallery and have a look for herself. She wondered if Thale had sensed that.

He led her to plush, stuffed chairs arranged in circles and rows – they faced a large window of stained glass. Sarah turned to Thale. “Thank you for showing me this…I think it’s going to ease my mind a lot. I need all the information I can get,” she smiled.

Thale smiled back – it reached his eyes. Sarah wondered if she was stupid for trusting him.

“It was my pleasure, Sarah. Let me know if you want to discuss any of the books you find – I have read most of them.”

Sarah’s eyes widened to comical proportions. “You’ve read…most of _these_? There must be thousands of books here!”

Thale laughed. “Well, yes, but you will find that living for centuries provides you with ample leisure time.”

Sarah just stared at Thale, still dumbfounded. He gave her another smile before backing away and turning, waving over his shoulder. “Adieu, Sarah.”

Once he was gone, Sarah slowly walked the entire room until she came back to the hallway that led to the gallery. She mulled it over and finally decided on biting the bullet and taking a look.

She got closer and noticed that the room appeared to become darker. Perhaps it was because the gallery was further from the wide windows, but Sarah couldn’t help but feel a sense of foreboding.

She came upon the first painting and saw a man in terrifying armor with what appeared to be an entire armory of weapons attached to his person. He must have had ten daggers strapped to his legs alone. He had a heavy brow and ginger hair – he most certainly did not look like Jareth.

That’s when Sarah realized most of the former Goblin Kings – along with one Queen – didn’t look much like Jareth. Some were blond, sure – yet they overwhelmingly had red or light brown hair. They also didn’t have Jareth’s lithe build; these people were slightly stockier in comparison.

She followed each painting, in what appeared to be chronological order, until she came across a painting of a red-haired man with a blonde woman. The woman was sleek and graceful and had brows just like Jareth’s. Sarah knew, without reading the name, who the woman was.

She read the name anyway.

_HRH King Brendan and his wife, Queen Asta_

She looked to the accompanying paintings. Jareth’s brother looked just like his father – large and solid with curling red hair.

His sisters were more a mixture of both parents – short but petite with hair that was a strawberry blonde color. Sarah wondered if that hair would have faded or stayed the same, had they been able to live the centuries that fae were accustomed to living.

She turned to Jareth’s portrait, the most recent one. He looked much the same – his armor almost mirrored the first Goblin King’s. Sarah wondered if that had been his choice or the artist’s.

He wore no smirk and his eyes looked challengingly out at the viewer – out at _Sarah. _Just as she felt the temptation to raise her hand and trace the lines of his face, she heard soft steps behind her. She whirled around.

“Hello, Precious.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger -- will try to stick with weekly updates (or earlier!)


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the delay, everyone. I had my computer repaired at my local Apple store (they suck) and it took longer than anticipated. 
> 
> Smut is between the * for those who wish to skip it.

"Hello, Precious."

Sarah gasped, seeing Jareth standing within touching distance. She stood still, half-facing him and half-facing his portrait. His eyes flicked from hers to the paintings surrounding them.

“I see you’ve found the gallery. Did Thale leave you all alone?” He crooned and stepped closer.

Sarah stepped back and flinched. Jareth’s jealousy towards Thale seemed so petty to her, especially after seeing the faces of the family he’d lost. “Jareth,” she began. He cut her off.

“I rather enjoy my portrait. I wanted to look very intimidating, at that time. I began my rule with a war, after all…I suppose I feigned an overly-martial nature in order to convince everyone, including myself, that I could defeat Hiems. Perhaps it worked.” He seemed lost in thought.

Sarah spoke before she really registered what she was saying. “I saw you execute your previous military commander, after…Enze and Laurent killed your family.”

Jareth’s eyes focused and he gave her a sharp look – his gaze held suspicion and pain. Sarah tried to clarify. “I mean…I saw it in a dream. Mahalia was there, and so were Lin and Ben. I don’t know _how_.”

Jareth looked behind her, past his own portrait, to his family. “I suppose I should be thankful that you’re willing to tell me about _this _dream.” His eyes traveled back to hers. “I have not forgotten that you refused to discuss your first nightmare here.”

She didn’t reply; Jareth continued.

“Enze tortured my sisters himself. For hours, I heard. I was drunk in the pleasure markets of Bahr – a smaller kingdom,” he added offhandedly, casually. “I didn’t receive word – didn’t even have an _inkling_ of what happened – until the next morning, when an envoy was able to locate me…”

Sarah stepped closer, unsure of how to comfort him – unsure of if he _wanted _comfort.

“I should have known they died. I should have _sensed _it.”

“Jareth,” she said again. He looked down at her. His eyes hardened.

“What else did you see in your dream? Did you see our barbarity? The beheading? My subjects parading the heads around our war camp afterwards?”

She hadn’t seen _that. _She looked down and shook her head. “I woke up after the beheading.”

He smiled and it was bitter. “Leave it to the labyrinth to send you dreams that prepare you for our savagery,” he continued to look directly at her – his eyes boring into hers. “That’s what it is, Precious – we are savages. Everything I did in retaliation for the slaughter of my family, I would do again. I _will _do it again for this war – understand this.”

He stepped back, once. “You must accept this, Sarah. The Midwinter ceremony will be a taste – but it will be more than you’ve had to deal with thus far. Prepare yourself for things that you could not imagine Above.” His gaze hadn’t left hers; Sarah got the impression that he was trying to communicate something deeper. She had no idea what that could be.

“I don’t understand,” she said slowly, carefully.

“You will.” It was a promise. They stood in silence for a beat before Sarah broke it.

“Why…did you have to leave? The other night – in my room,” she did her best to look him in the eye.

His smile suggested that he was through with the melancholy mood their previous topic had prompted. “There was a false alarm – one of my advisors felt someone Above about to wish a child away, but they never uttered the words aloud.”

Sarah’s eyebrows climbed. She’d hardly thought about her own run of the labyrinth, let alone the possibility that others would do the same while she was here. “Do you get many runners?”

His smile deepened. “Did you think you were the only one?” She scowled, not able to muster energy for an appropriate response. “No, we do not get many these days. I would say we’ve only had a handful since your run. As I said previously, no one else defeated my labyrinth – let alone left with magic of their own.” His eyes held a teasing glint. “You may continue to consider yourself special.”

She crossed her arms, annoyed. “I don’t have delusions of grandeur, Jareth.”

He ignored her tone and stepped closer. “Ah, but I find you grand, Precious. Did you want to pick up where we left off the other night? I can promise that we won’t be interrupted this time.”

His voice was seductive, soothing, tempting. Sarah recognized that he was using a low-level form of compulsion on her. She shook it off and decided to play him at his own game.

She smiled and let it travel to her eyes. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows in playful challenge. She focused on appearing as enticing as possible. “Oh, yes, Jareth. Why don’t you come here and help me take off my dress? Or let down my hair?” She spoke in the low tones that Sabine and Jareth himself had instructed her to use.

He moved towards her, about to obey, when he shook his head. His smile turned wild and his eyes lit up. “Well done. You’re using my instruction beautifully.”

She scoffed and squared her shoulders. “I used this very same strategy Above, Jareth. Your instruction is only _sharpening _what I already had.”

He laughed at that and moved so that he was almost touching her. She could feel warmth coming from him. He lifted a hand and traced her cheek until he reached a strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail. He held it as he spoke, “True enough. Would you like to compel me now? I would do what you wanted, regardless of your magical abilities.” His lips had traveled just below her ear; she shivered, slightly.

*

Her own hands moved up to grasp his upper arms. “Fuck me or don’t fuck me, Jareth. But do it because _you_ want to.”

He spun her around and she braced herself against a chest of drawers standing adjacent to a reading chair. His mouth was once more at her ear; his hands were at her waist.

“You know I want to. Must I say it?” She could feel his arousal pressed against her from behind; she tried to grind herself against him, but he grabbed her hips and stilled her. “I want you more than anyone I’ve ever encountered,” he continued. He kissed the side of her neck and spoke again. “I want you so much that it _distracts _me.”

“Then do something about it.” She taunted him. Feeling him hard against her – hearing the desperation in his voice – was driving her crazy; she could feel her own arousal pooling low in her belly. She tried to shift and rub against him once again and he let her, groaning behind her and moving his hands so they grasped the hem of her dress.

He flipped it over and smoothed his hands up her thighs and over her ass. She moved her elbows down so that they were fully braced on the armoire. She knew he could probably see how much she wanted him from his vantage point; if not, he’d be able to feel it soon enough.

One hand slid to her center and he brushed his fingertips against her. “So wet for me.” One finger found her clit and circled it.

“Jareth,” she gasped.

He removed his fingers from her, ignoring her noise of protest. He gently pulled her ponytail from its tie and wound her hair around one hand. He angled her head and kissed her possessively, forcefully. She reached behind herself and squeezed his erection through his pants. “_Fuck,”_ he put his hand over hers and moved it forward so she was gripping the furniture in front of her.

He pulled down her underwear and unlaced his own trousers so quickly that she gasped when she felt the head of him teasing along her slit. She moaned and widened her stance.

Jareth chuckled, “Eager, aren’t we?”

Sarah looked at him over her shoulder, “As if you aren’t? Get on with it, _Jareth_.”

“As you command.” He slid inside and she groaned. His hands gripped her hips and he set a slow pace. Too slow.

_“Faster,” _she ground out.

Jareth pulled her up so her back was flat against his front. He unbuttoned the front of her dress and pulled down the cups of her bra. He bit the side of her neck and rolled her nipples between his fingers. She cried out.

He moved his hand lower, underneath her dress, and swirled his fingers around her clit. She could feel herself tightening around him already. Sarah’s moans echoed around the otherwise-silent library. She found it difficult to care while he made her feel this way.

His thrusts were forceful enough to cause the chest of drawers in front of her to shake and pound against the wall. She was thankful that no one else appeared to be in the vicinity at the same time. She idly wondered if she would even ask him to stop if they _weren’t _alone. She was too close, too far gone to muster the energy to do anything other than meet his thrusts and pant out his name at intervals.

He placed open-mouthed kisses on the back of her neck and breathed harshly behind her. “I know you’re close, Sarah. Come for me, _now.”_

She closed her eyes and wailed, coming in sharp pulses around him. Both of his hands moved to her hips, giving a few more thrusts before groaning loudly and coming inside her. She slumped further on the armoire, spent, feeling him grip her tightly and hold her against him. They both stood there, silent, as their breathing calmed.

*

\--

Outside the library, unbeknownst to either Jareth or Sarah, Lin and Ben walked past and stopped, hearing a loud cry from behind the door.

Lin grinned widely when he heard _Jareth _repeated over and over. Both fae recognized Sarah Williams’s voice.

Ben spoke first, careful to keep his own voice down. “It seems the King is enjoying his plaything.”

Lin’s grin faded to a smirk. “Plaything? I think she’s more than that. She was the labyrinth’s _champion _as well. And remember that I told you she tried to hide the reason why she came back to the Underground.”

Ben pressed his ear to the door and eased back when he heard more cries. “Yes, but you _also _must remember what we heard about her trip to the Goblin Markets. She has no magical abilities. She can’t even resist simple compulsion. The Goblin King always wanted her – he’s just managed to succeed in seducing her this time.”

The brothers continued to walk down the hallway. “Yes, well – I still think there’s something she’s hiding from us. The King must have something up his sleeve this time – or else Enze and Sothy’s victories are as good as won already. We have fewer assured allies this time, and we don’t have the advantage of a royal family’s slaughter to kick people into action. He’s smarter than you think.”

Ben nodded. “You’re right; he seems too confident to fight a hopeless war. Perhaps we should try and see her in action.”

“We _should,_” Lin agreed. “Yet the King keeps her away from the rest of court at all times.”

Ben made a noise of agreement and brought a hand under his chin, thinking.

Lin smiled again. “Didn’t you say that Enze is arranging a ball before Midwinter?”

“According to my informants, yes. I believe invitations should be going out today or tomorrow.”

Lin looked back towards the library and at Ben. “Well, then. Let’s make sure the champion comes along with the rest of the Goblin Court.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews & kudos are appreciated!


	17. Chapter 17

** _Hiems Dungeons, 8 years ago_ **

** **

Sabine blinked at the sliver of light that appeared in front of her. She tried to rise on shaky and malnourished arms, but fell before she could get a better look at whoever was coming into her cell.

She knew it wasn’t Enze – he’d left her a bloodied mess the day before after a lengthy torture session. She’d been beaten beyond recognition. Half of her ribs had been broken; one had punctured her lung and made her pass out from the pain and resulting shortness of breath.

She’d woken up only partially healed. It was supposed to be a punishment. Yet she was somewhat grateful; such a violent encounter meant that Enze’s bloodlust would be satisfied for a week or so.

Again, Sabine attempted to rise into a seated position to see who had opened her cell door. She succeeded this time. She settled her back against the wall.

The figure was small and quiet – they hadn’t said a word to her yet. They crouched just inside the room, adjacent to the door. Sabine blinked until she became more used to the light.

In front of her was a small girl. Well, the girl looked small. Sabine got a better look at her almond-shaped eyes – cunning and intelligent and _knowing_ – and placed her age much higher than she had upon first glance. She was fae, of that Sabine was certain, but fae weren’t often so small. Perhaps she suffered from a developmental issue; she didn’t look larger or older than a child. It was slightly disconcerting.

Sabine sucked in a breath and spoke. “Hello.”

“Princess Sabine.” The girl said her name almost reverently – it fleetingly reminded Sabine of Mahalia, for a moment. She pushed that thought from her mind and wrenched her focus back to the girl with shining, dark skin and eyes.

“I am not a Princess anymore, but I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” She fell back on her manners, painstakingly taught to her by her mother, centuries ago.

The girl smiled; it was a small pull of the muscles in her right cheek.

“As I am pleased to make yours, Princess. Would you like to escape?”

Sabine’s eyes narrowed. This was a cruel game. “More than anything – but you must know that.”

The girl crouched closer and ran her hand through Sabine’s dirty and tangled hair. “I do,” she crooned, soothingly. “I can help you escape Above, Princess. A maid of yours called for me – I decided to answer.”

Sabine leaned into the touch – the first gentleness shown to her in years. “What would you like in return, darling?”

The girl took her hand from Sabine and smiled that half-smile once again. “All the money in your personal vault.”

Sabine closed her eyes and nodded, expecting that request. “Very well, little one. I will give you my key,” she summoned the key into her hand. The girl’s eyes widened, but Sabine made the key vanish before she could overpower her and take it. “I will give it to you once I have been taken Above.”

“You have yourself a deal, Princess.”

** _Goblin Kingdom, present_ **

Sarah made her way to breakfast, slightly nervous. Jareth had informed her that the families from court would be invited to dine with them that morning. He’d told her yesterday evening after…they’d had sex. Again.

That fact alone wouldn’t have really bothered her – they’d been dancing around it since the _first _time – what astounded her was when Jareth had straightened his clothing, smirked, made a joke about her improving compulsion abilities, and told her to meet him in the ballroom in fifteen minutes to practice more magic before dinner.

She’d stared at him, somewhat dumbfounded. She was sure her mouth had to have been slightly open, making her look like an idiot.

“You can’t be serious.” She couldn’t face him so soon after he’d bent her over a piece of furniture in his library. She could barely think straight.

The smirk was still there, growing wider with each word she spoke. “I am, Precious. Unless you’d like to have another go before our lesson?”

_Fucking hell. _“I’ll see you in the ballroom,” she muttered.

What followed had been more training on compulsion techniques…without a seductive focus. He’d been his typical teasing self, yet ultimately professional. Sarah wondered if that had been some sort of hint.

She remembered his parting comment about breakfast the next morning – he’d warned her about inviting the rest of court. And given her a compliment, surprising her.

“You’re advancing in your magical training faster than I’d hoped. I’m going to invite the other families from court to breakfast tomorrow. I’d warn you about Lin and Ben, but I have a feeling that they’ll need to be warned about _you _sooner rather than later.”

She’d given him a shy smile in return – pleased but still off-balance from what had happened in the library. “Thanks, Jareth.”

His smile faded as his face grew serious once again. “You’re doing well, as I said, but don’t get complacent. Midwinter is only about five weeks away.”

She recognized that his words were a reflection of his own anxiety; she quelled her annoyance at the reminder of her responsibilities. She needed time to herself to sort out her feelings and mentally prepare for breakfast the next morning. She needed to be alone.

She nodded. “Of course.”

He just stared at her for a moment – she thought he’d say something, do something – but he’d just nodded back and vanished.

Sarah kept walking to the dining room, mulling over the past twenty-four hours and pulling up her mental shields in anticipation for breakfast.

Once inside, she spotted Lynd and Thale, along with Mahalia and Sabine. She sat next to Sabine and across from Thale. All four looked like they’d been in the middle of an entertaining conversation.

Sarah was grateful that she wouldn’t have to contribute – Sabine turned to her slightly while Thale and Mahalia talked about the various islands and cultures within Mua He.

Sabine spoke quietly, “I need you to get me the hell out of here.”

Sarah almost choked on her coffee before seeing that Sabine was joking. “Why’s that, Sab?” She mimicked her low tones.

“I’m sitting at breakfast with two of my exes.”

The coffee almost came spewing out of Sarah’s mouth once again. “Who _else _here did you sleep with?”

Sabine’s eyes widened marginally. “Did I not tell you that I…knew Lynd…a few centuries back?”

“Oh my god – _Lynd_?” Sarah tried to keep her voice down, but knew it hadn’t really worked when she saw Lynd’s mouth twitch across the table.

“_Yes_, save me the slut-shaming before I guess that you had sex with Jareth the other night – after that fancy dinner.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I’m not slut-shaming you. And I didn’t have sex with Jareth after the dinner in which _you _got too drunk to get yourself back to your rooms.” She said the last part triumphantly, cognizant that she and Jareth had _almost _had sex that night.

A technicality that meant she was still telling the truth.

Sabine huffed and poured herself a second cup of coffee.

Jareth walked in, along with Lin and Ben. He sat down next to Mahalia and the brothers filled out the remaining spaces near the head of the table. Moments later, members of the Magnus family entered and sat towards the table’s end. Comfortable conversation ensued, and Sarah began to relax.

Her ease came to a halt when Lin squared his shoulders and gave Jareth a wide smile. “Your Majesty, surely you’ve received word from Enze about the ball he’ll be hosting in Hiems within the week?”

Jareth raised his brows and smiled – it appeared calm, but Sarah could see the sharpness behind it. “I certainly have, Lin. I’m looking forward to it.” He sat back in his chair and looked at Lin, challengingly.

Ben straightened in his chair and spoke up. “I’m looking forward to the ball as well – surely you’ll be using this as an opportunity to introduce the labyrinth’s champion to the rest of the realm, Your Highness?” Jareth’s title was said without a hint of veneration that the words implied.

Jareth’s smile grew even sharper. “Ben, you anticipate my moves before I’ve made them – how lucky we are to have you as a general within our military,” he looked to Mahalia, who stared back, expressionless. “I’m very pleased to inform you that I wrote to Enze yesterday evening, letting him know that we’ll be bringing dear Sarah along for her Underground debut.”

All eyes in the hall turned to Sarah. She forced her shields to remain in place as she inwardly cringed at the attention. She smiled beatifically. “How wonderful,” she said aloud, when it seemed a response was expected of her.

Jareth gave her a slight nod and shifted his eyes back to Lin and Ben. “I’m sure it will be a…stimulating evening.”

Sarah felt Sabine’s hand find hers under the table. She squeezed it.

\--

Sarah was standing in Sabine’s chambers, getting ready to leave for Hiems within the hour.

The week in which she’d been able to prepare for the ball had passed like a whirlwind; she had the feeling that the invitation was a test of sorts – Mahalia mentioned that fae used formal gatherings to size up their enemies before war. Jareth seemed nervous – well, as nervous as Jareth ever appeared to be. He was reserved during their lessons; their brief rapport of the days prior felt more tense, though he continued to tease and flirt as much as ever.

She turned and looked to Jareth and Mahalia, who entered Sabine’s rooms simultaneously.

Jareth’s eyes ran over her form; she was wearing a dress meant to mimic armor. The bodice was made from leather and mesh fabric – strips of material covered her chest and shoulders. The overall effect was arresting, and Sarah felt like a badass in it.

She briefly hoped that Jareth approved, immediately regretting thinking such a silly thing.

“I’m glad to see you wearing my choice of dress. It suits you.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. “You picked this out?” She’d had the feeling it was Sabine’s doing.

Jareth smirked slightly. “I did – the castle’s seamstress had only days to make it. I’ll be sure to commend her efforts.”

Sarah ran her hands over the fabric, suddenly self-conscious. Sabine saved her by waltzing in and walking right up to Jareth and poking him in the chest.

“Goblin King, I want a _guarantee _that Sarah and I will be safe from Enze the entire time we’re there.”

Sarah recognized how scared Sabine must be – Sarah couldn’t imagine the fear she must feel, going back to the castle in which she’d been tortured. Most of all, she’d be seeing the _brother _who had tortured her for years – Sarah was terrified of meeting Enze and hadn’t even interacted with him before.

Jareth, to his credit, nodded seriously before replying. “You won’t have to worry, Sabine. Mahalia will be your personal guard during the ball. I’ll be keeping an eye on Sarah. We won’t let either of you out of our sight. You’ll also be warded.”

Sabine nodded and flopped onto a chair, arranging her jewelry. “I suppose we don’t have a choice. Lin and Ben really forced your hand on bringing Sarah along, didn’t they?”

Jareth rolled his eyes. “They certainly think they did. I could see their plan to bring Sarah to Enze’s ball a mile away. This _will _make our strategy for Midwinter a bit trickier, though,” he turned to Sarah. “I wanted the realm to be ignorant of your abilities before the ceremony, but I know Lin and Ben will try to put you into a situation that could force you to use magic in front of them. Try to avoid this at all costs, Sarah.”

His eyes searched hers. She nodded.

“Why don’t you want anyone knowing about my powers?”

Jareth looked to the side, considering. Sarah wondered if he was trying to come up with a lie, but immediately forced that thought away. She wanted to trust him.

“At the moment, only Hiems and Mua He are really paying attention to our mutual conflict. The rest of the realm is aware that war may be on the horizon, but generally wish to stay out of our bickering.” Sarah nodded again, waiting for him to continue.

“They won’t be able to stay out of things come Midwinter, as this is when the labyrinth will replenish our magic and make the time ripe for conflict. With Sothy and Enze confident that the Goblin Kingdom, and its champion, are weak and without substantial outside help, they won’t be focused on winning their _own _allies.”

“I believe a strong show of your powers at Midwinter will send the appropriate message to smaller kingdoms and catch our enemies off-guard. They won’t be able to scramble for the aid of the other kingdoms before we’ve showed just how well-equipped _we _are.”

Sabine whistled low. Sarah felt herself giving a faint smile. _This could work. _Mahalia nodded at Jareth and spoke.

“This is why you must not allow Lin and Ben to provoke you into using your compulsion or door-opening capabilities.”

“I won’t,” Sarah replied. She looked to Jareth. “Plus, that won’t be too easy for them to do if I’m with you the whole night, right?”

Jareth jerked his chin in a nod. “Right. We’ll just have to be cautious.”

\--

They traveled with magic – Sarah had taken Jareth’s hand and they materialized outside of a large, dark castle.

Sabine wasn’t strong enough to transport herself, so she’d gone with Mahalia. The rest of Jareth’s court had begun their journey to Hiems days before – moving in a retinue that included servants and provisions for a two-day stay. Sarah wanted to roll her eyes at the largesse.

Sarah looked around and shivered – the air was crisp and the ground was covered in a light dusting of snow. The castle appeared to rest within a small valley surrounded by mountains. Dark peaks jutted out at regular intervals, protecting the castle with physical cover and an ominous atmosphere. Hedges decorated the courtyard welcoming them to the castle – they didn’t seem affected by the cold in the least.

Blood-red roses bloomed within the green shrubs; they appeared too vibrant to be natural. They reminded Sarah of poisonous insects.

Sarah pulled the shawl that Sabine had loaned her tight around her shoulders; together, the group of four made their way to the castle’s entrance.

Servants dressed in brocade and velvet opened heavy set of doors and bowed low. Another servant announced their arrival as they walked through the foyer and into a room with some of the highest ceilings Sarah had ever seen.

The ballroom was larger than Jareth’s and swathed in gold. Pale Corinthian columns dotted the perimeter and delicate chandeliers holding tapered candles filled the room with low light.

It appeared they were fashionably late. Guests packed the ballroom and mingled, danced, and drank.

Sarah could see several members of Jareth’s court already in the center of the ballroom, dancing. She looked around herself and stiffened when a passing servant took her shawl from her shoulders. Jareth’s hand reached out to touch her back, stilling her. She looked up and he jerked his head to the servant. “Do not touch the lady without her permission, next time.”

The servant gave a sickly smile and bowed. “My apologies, Your Highness. Lady,” he nodded to Sarah. She just stared back and tossed her head. Jareth gave a low laugh.

“Temper, temper, Sarah.”

Sarah was about to reply, but she was distracted by the approach of a tall man with sandy-blond hair. She saw Sabine draw in a deep breath to her right and assumed the man must be Enze.

Jareth stepped closer to Sarah and faced Enze, smiling. “Enze – I must extend my greatest thanks to you for inviting my court to your ball.”

Enze smiled in return; his eyes flicked to Sabine and then to Sarah. If Sarah hadn’t heard so much about how terrifying he was, she’d have to laugh. He looked like a surfer wearing a renaissance faire costume. His dark blond hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head and his skin was well-tanned. He didn’t _look_ terrifying. He just looked like he was from San Diego.

He inclined his head and replied, “The thanks should be mine, Jareth. I know how busy you must be preparing for the Midwinter ceremony,” his eyes seemed mocking.

Jareth quirked his lips but didn’t rise to the bait. “Busy as I am, I could never turn down an excuse to visit your…charming kingdom.”

“And you’ve brought my traitorous sister! Lovely of you to come bearing gifts.” Sabine trembled slightly; Mahalia placed a protective arm at her waist.

Jareth stepped forward just a fraction – not challenging, but a warning. “Your sister is now a subject of the Goblin Kingdom, Enze. I’m afraid that places her under my jurisdiction and…protection.”

Enze laughed and looked directly at Sabine, though he was still addressing Jareth. “Oh, she won’t need your protection from me…not at this time, anyway. Besides, I arranged a present especially for her when I heard that she’d be in attendance.”

Sarah felt a sense of foreboding the second those words came out of Enze’s mouth. She watched as he gestured and clapped twice; a signal to his servants.

A moment later, two large guards walked from the opposite side of the room, dragging a small figure between them. Guests stepped out of the way as the trio advanced towards Jareth and Enze. Sarah heard Sabine gasp and make a strangled sound.

The figure appeared to be a small girl. To Sarah, she didn’t seem more than ten years old, but she knew that things weren’t always as they appeared in the Underground.

The girl wasn’t looking up – her head hung low between the two guards and her black hair was stringy and matted. It even seemed _charred _in some spots. The worst part was how emaciated she looked; her arms looked like bones with dull, pockmarked skin stretched over them. Sarah fought the urge to gag.

Enze was still looking at Sabine, who was staring at the girl in disbelief. “I’m glad you recognize her, dear sister. Is this not the creature who helped you escape my dungeons? She’s already confessed to the crime, dozens of times over, but I wanted to make sure that you were able to properly _thank _her for her assistance.”

Sabine began to step forward and reached out for the girl, but the guards dragged the small figure back. Enze spoke again, “Ah, ah, Sabine. I’d advise you to refrain from touching. The thing probably has fleas and disease. I wouldn’t want you to catch anything. How about I give you a better look at her? I believe she’s unconscious at the moment, but perhaps we can get her to wake up and say hello.”

Before Enze could signal for the guards to wake the girl up, Sabine gave a cry and pushed from Mahalia, running for what appeared to be an exit between two columns at the room’s far right.

Sarah didn’t think before she was running for Sabine as well. Jareth’s hand reached out to grab her, but she was faster, running past the columns and hot on Sabine’s heels.

She could hear Enze laughing delightedly behind her. She could also hear footsteps, perhaps Mahalia’s, but they faded after Sarah and Sabine made multiple sharp turns through narrower and narrower hallways. Sarah immediately knew she was lost.

She kept running behind Sabine until she slowed and walked down a pair of staircases. The surrounding space looked to be some sort of servants’ area of the castle. Sarah caught up to her and wound her arms around Sabine’s waist. Sabine bit back a sob and squeezed back.

“I knew I couldn’t do this.” She got out between heaving sobs.

Sarah shook her head and laid it on Sabine’s shoulder. “That was…really messed up. I could barely handle looking at that girl myself.”

They stood like that, in silence, for a moment before Sarah heard small footsteps approaching behind them. She unwound her arms from Sabine and turned to face whoever was coming closer.

The small man appeared familiar. Sarah squinted and tried to place where she’d seen the elderly fae before…he looked _ancient._

Then she stopped short as she realized.

It was the imp from the Goblin Markets.


	18. Chapter 18

** _Goblin Kingdom, about three weeks ago_ **

Mahalia walked towards Sabine’s rooms, carrying her dinner. She hoped Sarah hadn’t arrived yet, or else she wouldn’t be able to speak with Sabine privately. And _naturally suggest _that they all visit the Goblin Markets.

She knocked – Sabine called out for her to come in.

Sabine looked up from a book and frowned. “What are you doing here?”

Mahalia sighed. _Jareth has no idea how difficult this little suggestion of his is going to be. At least she’s alone._

“Your maid and Thale were both too busy to deliver yours and Sarah’s dinners. I’m next in line – Jareth’s low on staff at the moment.”

Sabine nodded, “I’d noticed…” she murmured.

Mahalia was wracking her brain on how to bring up the Goblin Markets when Sabine spoke again.

“Why isn’t there anyone here? Where’s Jareth’s court? It’s like a ghost town in this castle.”

Mahalia had an idea. “He dismissed them right before you and Sarah came back here – he thought his full court might be overwhelming,” when Sabine didn’t immediately reply, Mahalia continued. “Perhaps I can persuade Jareth to let you two out of the castle somehow…maybe the markets? I wouldn’t want you both wasting away in a _ghost town” _she tried to tease, but Sabine wasn’t in the mood.

Plus, Mahalia wasn’t really adept at teasing. Stoic with a resting bitch face was more her M.O.

She scoffed and put her book down. “No need to put a good word in to _His Majesty _for me. I’m a big girl – I’ll ask him myself.”

Mahalia smiled and set the tray down.

“Wonderful. Enjoy, Sabine.”

** _Hiems Kingdom, present_ **

“Hey!” Sarah yelled at the small fae. He looked up from the tray he was carrying and glanced at Sarah and Sabine – his eyes widened to comical proportions and he squeaked. Sarah moved towards him and he _poofed _out of existence.

“Fuck,” Sarah muttered. She turned back to Sabine, who had calmed. Sarah walked up to her and wiped some of the remaining tears from Sabine’s cheeks with her thumbs. “Am I crazy? Was that the imp who tried to steal me from the markets and put me in a cage?”

Sabine sniffled a bit and shook her head. “I didn’t see him, remember? We were separated and Mahalia brought me back to the castle.”

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, trying to sort out her thoughts. Sabine spoke again. “If you remembered him – if he seemed familiar, I’m sure you’re right. That little guy doesn’t seem like the kind of creature you’d forget.”

Sarah nodded and opened her eyes. “Something seems really off. How could he be here? Jareth had him in his dungeons.”

Sabine narrowed her eyes and considered. “This is the kind of fucked up situation that I always _hated _having to deal with growing up here. I’m not built for all this intrigue and lying and scheming. God!” She turned from Sarah and flexed her hands, pacing.

“So you agree with me – something isn’t right?” Sarah pressed. She didn’t want to be overdramatic, but the imp’s presence – not to mention his whole and hale appearance – had Sarah questioning things.

“I agree with you. This is _exactly _something that Jareth would do.”

“What do you mean, Sab?”

“I don’t know,” Sabine threw up her hands. “Maybe he tortured the imp and planted him in Hiems as a spy? Maybe the imp was actually a spy _for _Hiems? Or maybe that entire market situation was orchestrated by Jareth and Mahalia and we got played. It could be anything. The bottom line is,” Sabine held up a finger, “that imp should be in the Goblin King’s dungeons and he isn’t. Something’s going on that we aren’t privy to.”

“You’re right.” Sarah took a deep breath and held it, trying to decide how to proceed.

She wasn’t angry – not exactly. Not yet. She was mostly confused and annoyed. Either she and Sabine had been played – been duped and then blamed for something they hadn’t done, in the markets – or Jareth and Mahalia hadn’t trusted them enough to tell them about the imp and his reason for being in Hiems.

Both options were unacceptable to her. She wanted to be trusted, to be _included_ in anything that concerned her. If Jareth needed her so badly for the Midwinter ceremony, he could sure as hell let her know about spies, prisoners, and the goings-on of his kingdom and others. She was working up to angry.

She turned back to Sabine. “Okay,” she took another deep breath and released it. “Okay. Let’s go back out there. Are you all right?”

Sabine smoothed her hair and nodded. “I’m okay – I wasn’t…prepared for that. Earlier.” She looked down and to the side. “What’re you going to do about…this?” she gestured around them vaguely.

Sarah looked to the low ceilings surrounding them. She looked back at Sabine. “I’m not sure – blowing up at a ball hosted by your psychotic brother wouldn’t be very smart, would it?”

Sabine laughed weakly. “Probably not, no…but we’re here for the night and not leaving until morning. If you can keep it together until we’re back at Jareth’s castle, fine. If not…” she shrugged. “It wouldn’t be anything Jareth didn’t deserve, is what I’m saying.”

Sarah smiled, an idea forming in her head. “I agree. I think I’m going to shelve the blow-up for now and try something else…do you know how we got in here?” She looked around, aware that she’d been lost almost since they began running.

Sabine shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Your sense of direction is terrible as ever. Glad to know that something stayed the same once you came back Underground.” She took Sarah’s elbow and began walking.

They walked for a few minutes, in silence, before they found their way back to the ballroom. It was a different area than the one they’d exited. Sarah assumed Sabine knew her way because it had been her family home. That thought was difficult for Sarah to wrap her mind around.

As they walked past a pair of columns and easily melted into the crowd, Sarah felt Sabine jerked from her arm.

She looked to the side and saw it was Lin, taking Sabine’s arm as if to dance. She turned to the other side and saw Ben take her own arm. She squeezed Sabine’s hand as they parted; it was a cue to follow Sarah’s lead.

She wasn’t in the mood for whatever the brothers had in mind, but she couldn’t be overtly rude. Or lose her cool.

“Unfortunately, gentlemen, neither Lady Sabine nor I want to dance at the moment. We’re so sorry to disappoint. If you’ll excuse us,” she made to leave Ben’s grasp, but he held her firmly to his body. Lin wasn’t letting Sabine go, either. Sarah began to see red.

“Let us go.” She said to Ben. She looked at Lin.

“We saw what happened between Lady Sabine and King Enze – we’re only making sure the two of you are all right, champion.” Ben spoke smoothly. His eyes were hard but his lips were upturned in a smile. His teeth shone white – it was a stark contrast to his smooth, dark skin. He looked like a walking Colgate ad. Sarah wanted to hit him.

She decided to try another tactic before her patience left her. “We were both looking for Jareth, actually. I think he’s looking for us.” She said Jareth’s name pointedly, hoping Ben would back off at the mention of the King’s name. Lin just laughed.

“His Majesty is a bit busy at the moment; I’m sure he’ll be happy to have his plaything back once we’ve had a dance or two. We’ve barely had a chance to get to know you, after all.”

“Yes, and we’ve been _so _looking forward to getting to know you,” Ben added.

She felt rage overtake her. Her magic reared up before she could help it.

She could feel herself sliding through Ben’s mental defenses easily. “You’re going to let go of me,” she quickly looked to Lin before he caught on. “_You’re _going to let go of Lady Sabine.” Sabine’s eyes were wide.

Sarah continued. “You’re _both _going to forget that you ran into us. You’re also going to forget that I compelled you. As we walk away, you won’t see us. In fact,” she narrowed her eyes and felt herself gaining power as her anger unleashed. “Neither of you will see me or Lady Sabine for the rest of the night. Enjoy yourselves and drink the fairy wine until you pass out.”

Ben’s arms left Sarah in an instant; Lin stepped from Sabine right after. Both brothers looked at one another and stared blankly above Sarah and Sabine’s heads. They shrugged and moved towards the back of the room, where there were bottles upon bottles of fairy wine.

Sabine grabbed Sarah. “Holy _shit. _I thought that was going to backfire so badly. Remember how Jareth and Mahalia told you not to compel anyone? Fae almost always remember when we’ve been compelled. You making them forget…” she shook her head. “And at the same time? I _felt _your power, Sarah. I’ve never been able to compel anyone that well – and it was my magical strength when I was younger.”

Sarah felt slightly shaky and held onto Sabine’s arm for support. “I didn’t know it’d work but I felt it, too…their mental shields were so easy to pass through…It’s never been that easy for me.”

“It was probably everything that’s happened tonight – maybe it made you more emotional. Stronger. As long as it worked.” She shrugged.

Sarah nodded and squared her shoulders. “Let’s go find Jareth and Mahalia.”

Sabine blew air out of her nose sharply. “Are we going to let them know that we saw the imp?”

“No…not yet. I think we should try to play their game a bit. Or at least avoid losing our cool when we tell them.”

“You’re becoming a true Underground denizen,” Sabine said it with a hint of disapproval – she regarded Sarah warily.

Sarah didn’t want to deal with Sabine’s hatred of the fae at the moment. She was already too keyed up.

“I don’t want to create more intrigue, Sab. I just want to confront Jareth at a time when he’s better able to see where we’re coming from and can take our request to be involved in his plans seriously,” she faced Sabine directly. “I want to put a stop to all this plotting and decision-making behind our backs. I don’t think tonight is the time to bring it up – and I don’t think we should explode when we _do _bring it up.”

Sabine nodded, mollified. “You’re right. Who knows, maybe us being direct with them will actually help.” She didn’t sound too sure.

“It will,” Sarah said confidently. “Don’t forget – they brought us here for a reason, Sab. We have some leverage. They need all the help they can get for this war. We’re not powerless here.”

Sabine rolled her eyes. “Well, you sure as hell aren’t. Let’s find them.”

Sarah and Sabine waded their way through the revelers and scanned the crowd for Jareth and Mahalia. Sarah spotted Mahalia guarding the exit through which Sabine had run away; she wasn’t sure if Mahalia was keeping others _out_ or waiting for Sarah and Sabine to come back. Maybe both.

They got within a few yards of the Commander before her eyes set upon them. She lifted her arm towards Sabine once they were within touching distance, but drew it back as though she were unsure if her touch would be welcome.

“Are you okay?” Her eyes held Sabine’s and then slid to Sarah, scanning them for injury.

Sabine lifted her chin. “Yes – where did my brother take that girl?”

“I believe he took her back to the dungeons…please don’t run away like that again,” Mahalia looked at them both. “Jareth and I couldn’t find you – and you both know how important this ball is, strategically.”

Sarah swallowed her anger at the reminder of Jareth and Mahalia’s machinations and smiled, placatingly. “Of course, Mahalia. We’ve both calmed down and I’m sure there won’t be any more…incidents tonight.” She kept the part about Lin and Ben to herself – she hoped Sabine wouldn’t say anything.

Mahalia just nodded; Sarah decided to ask a question. “Where’d Jareth go?”

Mahalia’s mouth pulled down in a frown. “He’s dancing…with Empress Sothy.”

Sarah heard Sabine curse under her breath. She tensed – aware of how Mahalia had described both Enze and Sothy when she’d first arrived Underground. _They give sadistic a new meaning._ She wasn’t sure she could handle another confrontation with a sadist.

At that moment, she heard tinkling laughter coming up behind her.

She turned around and saw Jareth and a petite woman walking closer, arm-in-arm. Sothy wore a headdress of pure gold – it wrapped around her head in intricate swirls and patterns. Thin points protruded from the top and round discs wound through the middle. Her arms and ankles were swathed in gold jewelry; Sarah saw that she was barefoot. A wrapped skirt in red, white, and orange covered her lower half. On top she wore a tight bodice slashed with diagonal strips of gold cloth on a cream background.

Sothy’s eyes trained on Sarah and her smile was wide. As they reached the trio, Sothy looked up at Jareth. “Your Highness, I’ve been waiting to meet your lovely human all evening. I’m pleased to see her here with your guard dog and King Enze’s runaway sister.”

Sarah immediately disliked the woman. There was something profoundly disturbing about her…she seemed malevolent and cunning. Yet Sarah wanted Sothy to underestimate her…what had Lin and Ben called her? Jareth’s plaything? She could act the plaything.

Jareth inclined his head to Sarah and met her eyes. “Empress, may I introduce Lady Sarah, champion of the labyrinth.” Sarah plastered a serene smile on her face.

Sothy left Jareth’s side and walked up to Sarah, standing three inches shorter. Even so, she made Sarah feel as though she were under a microscope.

“Your mental shields are impressive, Lady Sarah,” she circled, taking stock. “Yet I sense some distress from you.”

She smiled. “That episode, earlier, with King Enze’s prisoner was absolutely delectable.” She turned to Mahalia and Sabine. “I felt your pain acutely,” she addressed Sabine. “It’s made this ball _delightful_. I was growing quite bored.” She rolled her shoulders and her straight, black hair shook slightly with the movement.

Sarah spoke before Mahalia or Sabine could. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Empress. Jareth has told me _so _much about the Underground’s kingdoms and rulers,” she tried to sound excited but mindless and nonthreatening.

Sothy’s smile didn’t reveal if her act had worked. The woman’s face was a mask; Sarah also couldn’t prod past her mental shields. She lifted a hand and touched an errant strand of Sarah’s hair.

“Your coloring is quite unusual, for a human,” she wound the strand around her fingers. “That pale skin and your dark hair…is it a family trait?”

Sarah nodded, unsure of where Sothy was going with this. “I believe so, Empress. I look more like my mother, though.”

Sothy smiled, lightly. “Yes, I think so.”

Before Sarah could ask about _that _comment, Sothy curled her wrist in an unnatural gesture and her bracelets made a clinking sound. Suddenly, a man materialized from the crowd and briskly walked to her side.

“Cipta, bring Butet to my guest chambers. I’ve grown tired.” The man nodded and disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

Sothy turned to Jareth and inclined her head. “I thank you for the dance and the introduction, Goblin King. It has been an invigorating evening.” She walked away from the group without a backward glance.

Jareth looked at the three women in front of him. His eyes focused on Mahalia. “Shall we retire, ourselves?”

Mahalia nodded. “I’ll find one of Enze’s servants to show us to our rooms.” She walked through the dancers.

Jareth stepped closer to Sarah and Sabine. His lips were upturned in a smile but his eyes narrowed. “What did you two get up to, Precious?”

Sarah matched his smile and tone. “Not very _much_, Jareth. We came back to Mahalia as soon as we found our way back to the ballroom. I’m so _very _sorry for running away,” she looked to Sabine, “we won’t do it again.”

Jareth seemed suspicious and looked at Sabine, who just had an apologetic expression on her face. He looked as though he were about to reply, but Mahalia came back with a servant.

They trailed behind as they were led out of the ballroom and through Enze’s castle. The servant brought them up a staircase and took them to Sabine’s room first. Sarah made a mental note of where she was staying.

Mahalia was brought to her room soon after. Sarah walked next to Jareth and made sure her shields were in place; she didn’t want him to sense any of her anger at seeing the imp, earlier.

Finally, the servant brought them to a room far down the hallway from Mahalia and Sabine. Sarah was about to ask whose room it was when the servant spoke up. “Your Majesty, I hope you find these chambers adequate for you and your human.” Then he disappeared.

Sarah grit her teeth and schooled her features. This was a surprise, but not exactly unexpected. She decided to play along and use their shared room to her advantage.

She looked at Jareth, who opened his mouth. “I can see if they’ll find another –”

Sarah cut him off and smiled. “Shall we?” She brushed past him and stepped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sothy's outfit is inspired by the costumes for Robam Tep Apsara (Apsara Dance) in Cambodia. Worth a google search, if you're interested. The history behind it is cool, too (as far as the idea of an "invented tradition" goes).
> 
> Thanks for reading! & thanks to BustedBrain for looking at my chaps & making sure I wasn't going off the rails, plot-wise (her fic "Forever My Valentine" is also a great truly ~dark~ Jareth story, if you're looking for good laby horror).
> 
> Comments and kudos, as always, are appreciated.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincere apologies for the delay, everyone. Hope all the Americans out there had a great Thanksgiving :)

Jareth eyed Sarah suspiciously as she stood across the room from him, removing her jewelry and taking pins out of her hair. He sat in a chair facing the fireplace. Her back was to him and she appeared comfortable, paying him no mind as she shook the night off and leisurely put herself at ease in his guest chambers.

It was intimate – slightly more intimate than Jareth felt prepared for. Yes, they’d had sex twice now; he’d seen her at her most vulnerable, after that first nightmare she’d had in his castle. She’d sobbed and asked him to stay with her – asked him to touch her.

He’d complied without a second thought, a slave to both his lust for her and the longing she always seemed to inspire within him. But _this_, him watching her as she seemed to be getting ready for bed – this felt like something he shouldn’t be privy to. Something he hadn’t earned.

He was aware that something was off; she hadn’t acted the way she normally would after the incident with Enze and his prisoner. He knew she must have been upset about it, must have felt upset on Sabine’s behalf, but she had acted so calm and collected when he’d approached her with Sothy in tow.

Something had happened in the time between the two women running and their appearance next to Mahalia. The air felt tense – she was almost adversarial. She was playing the game like a natural – a native to the Underground. In kept him in a state of anticipation at the same time it caused him apprehension.

Jareth knew Sarah better than she probably thought; he knew her tells and her gut-reactions. The woman he’d seen at the end of the ball was wearing a mask and flexing mental shields he couldn’t penetrate, even for an errant feeling. It would have made him proud if it hadn’t been used to keep _him_ out.

Things at the ball hadn’t happened as he’d intended. Everything had gone completely awry after Enze had presented the guests with that goddamned smuggler, tortured and starved. Jareth wasn’t prepared for the ensuing chaos.

He hadn’t meant to dance with the Empress. Not when Sarah and Sabine were missing, at least. He knew he would probably _have _to, it would be expected, at an event like this. But Sarah and Sabine’s flight had left him off-balance and more worried than he was prepared for.

He’d been anxious, and trying to hide it, as Sothy approached him and asked for a dance so deliberately, shrewdly. It was almost as if she had known that, once they’d finished the song and returned to Mahalia’s side, Sarah and Sabine would be waiting.

Sothy probably _had _known, he reasoned. The Empress was famous for her sharp calculations as well as her maliciousness. He didn’t think that she’d had the foresight to envision exactly how Sabine and Sarah would react to the small prisoner’s appearance; she hadn’t known that they would both flee.

Yet he had the feeling that she’d been determined to meet Sarah tonight, whatever the consequences.

Perhaps she’d reasoned that wherever Jareth was, Sarah would not be far behind. She had probably sensed that Sarah would come back to Jareth and Mahalia, and had bided the interim time with a dance and courtly discussions of the ball’s proceedings. He was just happy that Sarah hadn’t shown the entire ballroom her powers, when she’d run after Sabine or when she’d interacted with Sothy.

It was little comfort, when he was sharing a room with a version of Sarah he wasn’t prepared for. This Sarah finally turned, glanced at him over her shoulder, and smiled with only a small hint of guile. Acting on instinct, he smiled back in that sharp way that had lesser humans cringing in fear. Sarah simply turned the rest of her body and approached him, slowly.

Inside, he began to panic only slightly. He knew she wouldn’t see it; fae of his station learned to school their reactions from young ages. Sabine was the most expressive fae he’d ever encountered – that had been her downfall.

He was determined to keep his reactions on a tight leash, whatever Sarah was planning behind her cruel green eyes. Should she try to compel him, for whatever reason, he’d resist. They’d proven to be an almost-match for one another, that time in the library. Jareth had the advantage of raw power honed by centuries of experience. He was confident that he could handle whatever she’d dish out.

“Jareth,” she began, moving ever closer. She tilted her head to the side and kept her smile. It was easy, but there was an edge of danger. Her long, dark hair hung loosely in waves around her shoulders. She moved with a grace that told him she knew the effect her body had on him. He shifted in the chair as he began to grow aroused.

“Sarah,” he answered, matching her low tones. “You seem to have recovered from Enze’s little stunt rather quickly.”

*

She laughed lightly and stood in front of him. She leaned forward, bent at the waist, and reached out to touch his hair. She pushed it back from his face and let her hand drag down his neck until it rested on his chest. Bracing herself, she slowly moved and straddled him.

Her skirts weren’t as voluminous as they appeared; the thin chainmail-type fabric settled around her with ease. Jareth could feel her heat through what little fabric remained between them.

He pulled in a sharp breath through his nose and looked at her in the eye. He slid his hands up to grasp her waist and moved his mouth to the juncture of her shoulder and neck. “What game are you trying to play, darling?” he whispered against her skin.

Sarah couldn’t fully control her reaction. She shuddered slightly and moved her body against him with purpose. Jareth’s hands slid down again to hold her hips – encouraging or hindering, neither of them were sure.

“The same game you’re _all_ trying to play, Jareth.” She pulled back and grinned down at him, showing her straight teeth. Then she leaned in with purpose and kissed him, taking him by surprise. He opened his mouth and returned the kiss, their tongues moving against one another. He gripped her hips harder and she undulated against him, making them both groan low in their throats.

“Did I not do well tonight? Did I not _please_ you?” She stroked his hair again; the tenderness of that action, combined with the suggestive motions of her body, worked to confuse and muddle his brain. He tried to get a hold of himself and gain control of the situation.

He analyzed the tone of her voice, attempting to discern if she was using compulsion on him. She wasn’t – he was just helpless to her allure and acting a fool in the face of her seduction. Jareth was losing the will to care. Whatever she was doing, whatever the outcome, her demeanor promised satisfaction at the very least.

Jareth bit down on her shoulder, lightly, and Sarah moaned. “You always please me, Precious.” He grinned up at her, moving his hand under her skirts and brushing her center with his fingers. He could feel how wet she was through the fabric of her underwear and it made his grin fade into a smile of smug satisfaction.

Biting back a moan, Sarah put her hand over his, underneath her dress, and glanced at him. She raised a brow. “Do I? Would you like to please me? Right now?”

Breathing harder now, Jareth nodded. “Command me as you will, Sarah.”

She took his index and middle finger in her hand and moved her underwear aside. She pushed his fingers up into her and squeezed around them; Jareth groaned as she began to move. Her hand left his and she touched herself, tilting her hips and riding his hand.

Jareth could feel his cock straining against his trousers. He wanted nothing more than to take his fingers from her and thrust up inside her, but he also wanted to see her come like this. He leaned his head back so he could watch her move up and down on him. With his free hand he held her hips and guided her pace.

“That’s it. Get yourself closer.”

Her eyes were closed and she was breathing in choked pants. Sarah’s rhythm stuttered and she came, gasping and squeezing around him in tight pulses. Jareth grit his jaw in anticipation and he thrust his hardness against her as she removed his fingers and her own hand.

He heard her say something in his ear, but couldn’t make out the words in his haze of lust. “What did you say?” He turned his head to look at her fully.

She smiled and took his hand, put his fingers in her own mouth, and sucked her come from them. “_Fuck_.” Jareth struggled to keep from coming right then and there.

*

She took his hand from her mouth and whispered in his ear. “I know about the imp.”

Jareth felt cold realization slip down his back like ice. He felt Sarah move from atop him and to the floor. She cupped his erection through his trousers, making him stiffen and move against her in involuntary expectation.

She tossed her hair behind her shoulders and straightened to her full height, looking down at him. “If you ever keep something like that from me again, the consequences will be dire, Jareth.”

With that, she put her shoes back on and exited the room. Jareth could hardly make a noise of protest in his shock.

\--

** _Above, 7 years ago_ **

Jareth sat on his throne and thought about Sarah Williams for the fifth time that day. He’d dreamt of her last night, as he’d been dreaming of her for weeks now.

He knew it all had to be courtesy of the labyrinth. The sentient maze was often his greatest ally and the greatest pain in his ass. He had no wish to dream about the wayward Champion who had bested him, rejected him, three years prior.

Yet it seemed the labyrinth was as intent on reminding him of her as he was sincere in his desire to forget about her.

Jareth thought back to his dream the night before; Sarah had stood before him, vibrating with power and energy. She’d possessed _magic _of her own.

She’d been older in the dream, perhaps eighteen in human years. The age she would be right now, he thought idly.

He assumed the dream was supposed to communicate that Sarah Williams now held magic, perhaps bestowed upon her by the labyrinth. The idea was as laughable as it was vexing. Had she not taken enough from him? Now she sought to infiltrate the source of his power? Threaten his sovereignty? Use it to turn his kingdom against him?

He made a decision and resolved to see for himself. Perhaps that would put a stop to the infernal dreams of late.

He summoned a crystal and peered in, conjuring the still-familiar image of the Williams home. In a flash, he appeared just outside in his owl form.

Circling the dwelling twice, he made sure that no one was home. He assumed his human form and materialized in the foyer. He slowly walked up the stairs, almost instinctually remembering which room was Sarah’s.

When he pushed open her door, lightly, he was caught by surprise.

Her room had been transformed – it was scrubbed clean of any trace of the girl. Gone were her pictures, her bedspread, her vanity. Instead, _this _room appeared to be intended for guests. It featured a bland color palette of pastels and a wide bed on a simple wooden frame. After a pause, Jareth turned away and walked back down the stairs.

He knew she hadn’t died – he would have sensed that. He resolved that she must have moved away, as many young humans did at the same age. He moved deeper into the first floor of the home, in search of clues as to Sarah’s whereabouts.

In the hallway before the kitchen, he spied a row of pictures. Moving from left to right in what appeared to be chronological order, the photos became sparser as they became more recent. The last two photographs were of Sarah, Toby, and her stepmother alone; in the first, at a beach and the second, at some sort of amusement park.

Jareth frowned at this – remembering that she’d had a father by the name of Robert. Where was he? He turned from the pictures and walked to the living room.

At the front of the room, on the fireplace’s mantle, he found what he was looking for. An ornamental vase, with an inscription, sat in the middle. _In loving memory – Robert Williams – beloved husband & father. _Beside the vase was a picture of the man, smiling and holding up a drink of some sort, in toast.

Jareth was familiar with human burial rituals – it looked as though Robert had been cremated and the vase held the man’s ashes. Yet Jareth felt an odd energy coming from the vessel. He walked closer.

Jareth put his hands on either side of the vase and closed his eyes. After a moment, they popped open and he glanced at the object, wide-eyed.

What he felt emanating from the vase was not the result of human remains; it appeared to Jareth that Robert Williams’s ashes were not in that vessel at all. What he’d felt from the vase, emitting a low-level magic, was rather the result of a cremated changeling of some sort. Whatever was in that object was fae-touched.

Jareth removed his hands and stood in the Williams family’s living room, unsure of how to proceed. Sarah was gone – he did not know where. He supposed the beach and the amusement park could be clues as to her new residence; however, he was much more intrigued by the vase of changeling ashes.

He shook his head and readied himself to return to the Goblin Kingdom. It looked as though Sarah and her family had experienced profound suffering; yet not everything was as it seemed. Jareth would bet money that residents of the Underground were to blame for whatever had transpired here.

Jareth would _also_ bet money that Robert Williams was still alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do we like the Jareth POV? 
> 
> Thanks for reading, as well as the comments/kudos!


	20. Chapter 20

Sarah shut Jareth’s door behind her and took a steadying breath before she lit down the hall. She hoped she remembered exactly where Sabine’s room was.

She tore through the dark before reaching a door just adjacent to the spiral staircase. She bit her lip and put her hand on the door – feeling for a lock. It _was _locked, but Sarah recognized Jareth’s magic and it unclicked with ease.

Heart still racing, stomach still clenched with desire and excitement from moments earlier, she turned the knob and slowly walked inside.

She heard the beginnings of a scream before she whispered as urgently as she could, “_Sabine_ – it’s me. It’s Sarah.”

The room was dark and lit by a handful of candles on the sides of the four-poster bed. Sarah was standing in a small seating area – it was much smaller than the chambers she’d been about to share with Jareth.

Making sure Sabine was calm with a glance to the bed, Sarah dropped her shoes and pushed her hair out of her face. “Sab, I just left Jareth with blue balls and told him I know about the imp – can I stay with you tonight?”

She heard a breathless laugh and saw Sabine move to the side of the bed, as her eyes adjusted more to the dark. “You _didn’t_ – I always knew you were a legend. Of course you can stay here. I was afraid Enze and his servants might try to kill me while I slept, so at least now we can die together.”

Sarah huffed a laugh and took her dress off. She glanced around for drawers or something that might have pajamas. “Jareth warded your door – it seemed pretty safe to me…Sab, there wouldn’t be any extra pjs in here, would there?”

Sabine flipped down the covers and walked around to a chest to Sarah’s left. “Yeah, they actually brought some stuff from Jareth’s castle over. You can borrow something of mine.”

Sarah slipped on a long t-shirt and went into the adjoining bathroom to scrub her makeup off. She returned to Sabine’s bed minutes later and pulled the comforter up to her chin.

Sabine rolled over and faced Sarah. “So, are you gonna tell me what you did to Jareth? Or am I supposed to imagine him tied naked to his bed…”

Sarah punched the covers in Sabine’s direction. “No! I’m not giving you details. You’ll have to imagine it, which I’m sure won’t be too difficult. I didn’t think it was gonna work, to be honest. Jareth was definitely suspicious before I…approached him.”

Sabine giggled. “_Approached _him. How formal…but you told him that you knew about the imp? We don’t _really _know what the deal is with him – we just know he’s not in Jareth’s dungeons, right?”

Sarah nodded in the dark. “Yeah, I’m hoping that Jareth’ll spill the beans once we get back to the Goblin Kingdom and have time to speak properly. I did…all this…mostly because I was pissed tonight.”

Sabine made a small noise of agreement. “Well, no surprise there. Tonight was a shitshow.”

“It was – are you still okay? After…the thing with your brother?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sabine waved her off. “I’m going to ask Mahalia about maybe trying to help her escape, but I don’t have much pull over Lia anymore. Maybe I can steal some strategies of yours? Got any knot-tying advice? Sex magic tips?”

“Sab.” Sarah poked her arm. “Shut up.”

Sarah kept talking while Sabine laughed quietly. “You still have a lot of pull over Mahalia – I know you can’t be unaware of how much she still loves you.”

“Hmmm,” Sabine shifted a bit. “I’m not totally sure – but sometimes I think you might be right.”

“Well, only one way to find out.” Sarah raised her brows when Sabine huffed next to her. “Hey – do you think everything’s okay with Lin and Ben now?”

Sabine was silent for a moment. “I think you succeeded in compelling them to leave us alone and forget – but I don’t think that means you’re out of the woods on that front, yet. They’re still going to try and provoke you into doing something rash, since they don’t know that they _succeeded _tonight.”

Sarah sighed. This was all getting exhausting. Yet…she figured that she’d have a day or two before Lin, Ben, and the rest of the Goblin Court came back to the castle. They’d travelled in a retinue _before_ Enze’s ball, after all. She felt sleep beginning to tug at her eyelids. “I guess dealing with them’ll be easier in the Goblin Kingdom than your brother’s castle….” She yawned.

“Night, Sab.”

Sabine grabbed Sarah’s hand under the covers and squeezed before letting it go. “Night, Sarah.”

They both slept soundly until light filtered through the curtains, signalling that it was time to leave.

There was a knock at the door and Mahalia entered after Sabine’s call of _Come in! _She seemed surprised that Sarah was in the room – a cue that Jareth hadn’t told her about the night before. That was a relief. Sarah decided not to give anything away.

“Jareth wants to leave in twenty minutes – you can have breakfast once we’ve transported back to the Goblin Kingdom. Is that all right?”

Both Sarah and Sabine nodded, getting up to put clothes on and use the bathroom.

After about fifteen minutes, both women exited Sabine’s room and looked for Jareth and Mahalia. Sarah looked at Sabine and slowly turned to walk down the hallway to Jareth’s chambers. She cringed…she hadn’t thought about how awkward things would be after leaving Jareth the night before.

_Compartmentalize_, she chanted to herself. _One thing at a time._

They reached Jareth’s rooms and knocked. The door swung open to reveal Jareth, his face void of any emotion or tells. The only thing that Sarah could glean from her quick study of his face was the slight tightness around his eyes. She raised her brows, partially in challenge and partially in question. He raised his back.

He stepped forward from the threshold and Sarah stepped back to make room for him. Mahalia came from the room right after.

Jareth motioned for Sarah to put her hand in his. “Shall we?” Mahalia did the same with Sabine.

Before Sarah knew it, they were back at Jareth’s castle. She stepped back as soon as she could. Jareth’s eyes lingered on hers before he turned and whispered something to Mahalia. Sarah walked over to Sabine’s side when she heard Jareth address her.

“I’ll see you in my study at noon.”

Sarah nodded, already dreading the training they’d be doing, no doubt. Maybe he’d get revenge on her for the night before. Jareth disappeared without another word.

Sarah widened her eyes, not expecting that he’d leave without having breakfast with them. _Maybe I got to him more than I thought. _Or he had other things to do. She mentally shrugged before heading into the dining hall.

She stopped short when she saw Lin and Ben already at the table, eating. She saw Sabine stiffen a bit in her peripheral vision. Mahalia gave them both a curious look before walking ahead and sitting across from Lin.

Sarah looked sidelong at Sabine, who just nodded once. They approached the table. Sarah sat next to Ben while Sabine sat across from him, next to Mahalia. Sarah studied their faces, searching for a hint about whether or not her magic had worked on them at the ball.

Sabine spoke up, surprising Sarah. “I wasn’t aware that you two decided to travel without the rest of Court on the way back to the castle.”

Lin’s mouth pulled up in a smirk. “We couldn’t resist seeing you two lovely ladies for breakfast. Especially when we couldn’t find either one of you to dance with, at the ball last night.”

Sarah’s eyes searched for a hint of dishonesty in Lin’s, but she only found a sort of mischievous glee. She wondered what _that _was about.

She decided to jump in. “Oh, things got a bit hectic at the beginning of the evening, as I’m sure both of you saw.” Maybe referring to Enze’s hateful stunt would deter them from provoking her and Sabine.

“Incidents like that are a…what’s a human expression you might relate to? _A dime a dozen, _in Hiems especially. I would expect nothing less from King Enze.” Ben quirked an eyebrow at Sabine, whose eyes narrowed.

Trying to diffuse the situation, Sarah leaned forward a bit. “Regardless, his performance made the rest of the evening seem…arduous. We retired pretty early.”

Ben’s grin was wide when he replied. “Retired…to sleep?” His tone left no room for interpretation – it was suggestive and subtle as a sledgehammer.

Lin joined in, “Or did you perhaps visit Enze’s library? We were recently notified as to your…enthusiasm for _His Highness’s_ library, here. I’m glad he has the time to entertain you so thoroughly. Especially when war is imminent.”

Sarah grit her teeth, aware that the fae were trying to rile her up. Her mind raced as she considered the implications of Lin’s words…did they _hear _her and Jareth in the library, last week? She wanted to sink into the ground, after she killed them both.

Sarah had almost forgotten that Mahalia was still there when she spoke. “I think that’s enough innuendo for today, gentlemen. Sarah, perhaps you should get ready for your meeting?”

Grateful for the out, Sarah stood slowly and nodded. She didn’t want to leave without throwing something back at the two brothers. “I have enthusiasm for _many _subjects, Lin.” She turned to Ben and gave him a wide, false smile. “Unfortunately, neither of you would ever be privy to that _enthusiasm_ without pressing your ears to doors like the pathetic excuses for spies that you are.”

She turned and walked away, quickly, before anyone could say anything else to her.

\--

Two hours later, Sarah found herself walking to Jareth’s study. Her heart was racing and she could already feel herself beginning to sweat. She couldn’t imagine their meeting ending well. She took one step at a time, trying to convince herself to keep walking forward.

She reached Jareth’s door – he opened it before she could raise her hand to knock.

“We’re going to the labyrinth.” Was all he said before he took her hand – _gently _– and they suddenly appeared in the center, in front of the stone doors that had been haunting her dreams for weeks.

She could feel the labyrinth’s magic emitting from all directions, stronger than it was when she’d last opened the doors with Jareth.

She stepped close to the doors, just like last time. She tried to focus her energy on the magic behind them, again like the last time.

She was too distracted – she looked over her shoulder at Jareth, who just stared back, without expression.

She chanted a string of curse words inside her head and tried to concentrate. Nothing was happening. Except, this time, she hardly even felt the panic at potential failure. Not in the same way that she had when they’d visited the doors, weeks ago. She just felt panic at her situation.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Lin and Ben’s comments at breakfast and during the ball. That they’d heard her and Jareth in the library, that she was some kind of _distraction_ or a _plaything _to him – a distraction that kept him from planning for war effectively.

_How does he see me? Am I some stupid human pet who can do magic tricks?_ She was mad at herself for caring. She felt like an idiot – she’d never wanted to feel this deeply about _anything _concerning Jareth.

“I can’t.” She said, mostly to the doors.

“You can, Sarah.” She heard Jareth speak calmly behind her. It fueled the anger that was building in her chest.

“I _can’t_, Jareth.” She turned to face him. “More than that – I don’t _want _to right now. Take me back.”

“No.” He stood there, looking at her with that awful emotionless mask.

“Come off it, Jareth! Take. Me. Back,” she spoke through clenched teeth. She thought she was about to lose it and didn’t want him to see her have another breakdown. Especially not when he was acting like some kind of robot.

She saw a spark enter his eyes. _Good. _“I won’t take you back – maybe if you stopped your tantrum long enough, you could focus on opening the doors.” He folded his arms across his chest.

She wanted to scream. She clenched her fists in an effort to stop herself from stomping her feet like a toddler. She decided to try another tactic – maybe he was just mad that she didn’t finish him off the night before.

“I know you’re probably…angry with me—”

Jareth cut her off. “How long have you known about the imp?”

Her eyes widened. Sarah considered before she answered. This was her chance to get more information from Jareth without revealing that she actually had _no idea _why the imp had been in Hiems.

“Long enough to be very pissed off about it…and to know not to trust you.” She hoped that was vague enough to prompt him to reveal some information.

Jareth’s jaw set. “I had reasons for placing him in the markets and compelling you. You were never in any danger – he’s been useful to our kingdom for many years.”

_Holy shit…so he _did _set me up, _Sarah thought to herself. _Our kingdom? _She let that odd choice of words go before replying.

“You’re having him spy on Hiems.” She was about ninety-five percent sure that was true, at least. Jareth confirmed it with a short nod.

“I seem to underestimate you constantly, Precious.”

She was annoyed with the statement for a number of reasons. She especially didn’t like the use of his pet name for her – not at a time like this.

“Yes, well, that’s something you all in the Underground must have in common.”

Jareth’s eyes narrowed. He spoke flatly. “What do you mean by that.”

Sarah threw her hands up and began to pace. “Lin and Ben think that I’m just your little fuck toy and I _know _that no one should know about my powers, but it’s starting to grate on me, Jareth. Even at Enze’s ball – they called me _your human. _I know I’m here to help you with your war, or whatever, but the rude comments and innuendo are becoming tiresome.”

She kept on with her rant, not giving Jareth a chance to interrupt her. “And that’s not even mentioning the fucking imp – I barely want to discuss that. I just want to say that I know I don’t _mean_ anything to you – besides my powers and the sex, sometimes – but I can’t handle it right now and I want _to go back to my rooms._”

She looked at Jareth – the mask had slipped more and his eyes looked stricken. He looked down, then back at her, and then to the side. She’d never seen him unsure of himself; it was disconcerting.

He took a breath before replying; his hands flexed. “I want to…apologize. For the imp. I let my focus on this war cloud my judgement and I blamed you for something that wasn’t your fault. I lied to you. And…” he looked away again, for a moment, but looked back at her so earnestly that she briefly forgot how mad she was at him. “You mean more to me than you think…than I have adequately expressed. You’re not my _fuck toy, _Sarah.” He said the last part heatedly, almost angrily.

She wasn’t exactly sure what his angle was…or what he meant by that, but she was too emotionally exhausted to think about it very deeply. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to cry, but she’d be damned before she let him see her crying again.

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out. “Please just take me back to the castle, Jareth.”

She opened her eyes and looked at him. The expressionless mask was back. “Very well.” He took her hand in his and they vanished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe some genuine feelings we're seeing on Jareth's part?
> 
> I'm thinking there are about 7 or so chapters left here. Heading towards the end! That being said, I could be very wrong. We'll see.
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry for taking a while to post -- the holidays had me very distracted!

The next few days found Sarah at the library, finally deciding to read up on the Goblin Kingdom’s history and its connection to the labyrinth. She cringed as she thought back on her last visit.

_That_ disastrous day in the labyrinth had ended once Jareth brought Sarah back to the castle; she’d headed to her rooms straight after. Sarah hadn’t seen him at breakfast the next morning. Or the morning after that.

Sarah tried to shrug off the competing feelings of relief and lingering confusion at her situation. She felt off-balance, which was something she wasn’t accustomed to Above but quickly learning was part of her current life Underground.

Sarah usually felt in control, at least when it came to interpersonal relationships. She never lost her head and always was the first one to cut things off.

Here….well. Here, Sarah hardly ever felt in control.

She was mostly becoming alarmed at the intensity of her feelings concerning Jareth. At home, Above, she’d always felt so calm and composed. Once she’d come Underground, she’d chalked up that constant feeling of composure to her erased memories. As though she’d been missing the depth of feeling she’d had at fifteen.

It made sense to Sarah, that her stolen memories would affect her personality, but that meant….well, it meant that she’d never really had to deal with any profound depth of feeling before this.

To say that she felt unprepared would be an understatement.

Sarah selected a thick book at random from the stacks dealing with more recent Underground history and settled on a settee nearby. She felt slightly embarrassed coming back to the library after remembering Lin and Ben’s comments about what she’d done with Jareth in here.

She pushed that embarrassment back and opened the book in her lap. It seemed to be a history of the Goblin Kingdom spanning several kingships. One section, the last, appeared to be focused on Jareth’s father.

Sarah skimmed until she found a description of King Brendan’s first Midwinter ceremony.

_King Brendan, chosen sovereign of the Labyrinth, began preparations for his first Midwinter Ceremony in the tenth month of the year._

Sarah thought back to the month before she came underground, wondering if Jareth had scheduled his entrance back into her life to fit his father’s first Midwinter preparations.

_As his preparation schedule began significantly later than most previous kings, surrounding kingdoms posited either a lack of initiative or power on the new Goblin King’s part. However, the successful ceremony proved King Brendan’s depth of feeling and significant abilities._

Sarah paused at that. She wondered why the King’s _depth of feeling_ mattered. She kept skimming for actual descriptions of the ceremony when she found a useful fragment about a hundred pages later.

_King Brendan’s fiftieth Midwinter proved to be explosive, as the King became more affected by the Labyrinth’s expanding magic than is typical. Queen Asta, the King’s Consort and lifelong companion, was said to have isolated herself with the King months before the ceremony._

Sarah wondered if her own roiling emotions had to do with something similar. As she sat back to think more, the book shifted in her lap and a loose sheet of paper fell to the floor.

Sarah sat up and bent to retrieve what looked to be a pamphlet.

Her eyes widened when she scanned it; the pamphlet looked like something passed around at a church. It was a prayer to Saint Anthony of Padua.

_O blessed Saint Anthony, the grace of God has made you a powerful advocate for the restoring of things lost or stolen._

Sarah kept reading the paper, eyebrows raising in surprise and confusion.

_You have helped countless children find the things they have lost – material things – and, more importantly, the things of the spirit._

Sarah thought back to the elderly Cuban woman who’d instructed her on praying to the very same saint when she’d gone for a psychic reading in southern California, years ago.

Sarah wasn’t religious – never really had been – it was her father who had been raised Catholic.

She had little time to wonder why a pamphlet calling to a Catholic saint – _of all things – _was in the Underground, as she heard low voices coming her way.

Two figures appeared to Sarah’s right and approached her. She looked up. Sarah’s eyes adjusted from the pamphlet in her hands and focused on her visitors. She quickly slipped the paper back into the book she’d been reading and shut it.

It was Thale’s sister, Lynd, and a fae woman Sarah was unfamiliar with. The woman looked young, though Sarah had trouble placing fae ages. Her hair was a honeyed blonde color and her skin and eyes were dark.

Sarah vaguely remembered seeing her the few times Jareth’s court had been present. She wondered why they’d never been introduced.

They came closer and Sarah was quick to return Lynd’s smile. She looked to Lynd’s companion and gave the girl a nod. The girl’s eyes narrowed but she nodded back, slightly.

“Sarah,” Lynd began, still smiling. “I’ve brought our youngest member of court, Lady Vera, to meet you.”

Sarah eyebrows raised and she wracked her brain for information about Vera; she remembered back to her conversation with Lynd and Thale in the garden. Lynd had played babysitter for Vera’s mother, and Vera was part of the wealthy Magnus family.

She also remembered when Lynd told her that Vera needed more “socialization.” Sarah wasn’t sure she was prepared for an unsocialized fae….whatever that meant.

Sarah set the book aside and stood up from her chair to get a better look at Vera. She rolled her shoulders back and introduced herself. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Vera.” Sarah extended her hand to shake.

Vera looked at Sarah’s hand as if it were an interesting but unfamiliar wild animal. She raised a brow, shook her hair, and seemed to smile to herself before grabbing Sarah’s hand eagerly.

A shock ran up Sarah’s arm and she yelped before she could stop herself.

Vera immediately pulled back and Sarah shook her arm out, looking to Lynd. Lynd didn’t return Sarah’s look; she appeared to be assessing the situation. Her eyes were calculating as she glanced from Vera’s face to Sarah’s arm.

Sarah didn’t have much time to think about that before Vera spoke.

“You have magic?” The abrupt question caught Sarah off-guard.

Sarah looked to Lynd, whose eyes caught hers before darting to Vera’s inquisitive face. Sarah wasn’t sure what Thale’s sister knew about her abilities – if, indeed, Thale had told her anything at all – but she figured that continuing to downplay herself would work in her favor.

She mentally rolled her eyes at the continued need to pretend at her own uselessness and stupidity. The situation was slightly ironic considering her argument with Jareth, days before.

Sarah tried to settle on a neutral response and hoped that Vera couldn’t sense any panic on her part. Her heart was racing, but she knew her mental shields were still up. They’d been up the entire time, hadn’t they?

“I’ve been told that all humans who interact with the fae become touched by their magic,” Sarah said slowly.

Vera’s smile was predatory. “A general answer for a probing question. You are better adapted to court life than I, Lady Sarah,” her bow was too low to be sincere. It could only be mocking.

A book fell off one of the shelves, startling Sarah and making her jump.

Lynd finally spoke. “Apologies, Sarah. Vera’s magic is still….a bit untamed. Much like her manners.”

Sarah attempted to return Lynd’s smile, but it felt fake even to her. She was still reeling from Vera’s question and Lynd’s odd behavior.

Vera tilted her head so far to the side that it appeared unnatural; not unlike the owl that she knew Jareth could transform into.

“I am struggling to understand why a human, champion of the labyrinth or not, would require such strong mental shields.”

Sarah again looked to Lynd for help. Lynd simply stood and waited for Sarah’s response, it seemed.

Sarah couldn’t help her chuckle of discomfort. She had _no _idea what to say to that. She decided to go with levity, though that didn’t always seem to pan out well around here.

“Have you ever met another human, Lady Vera? We tend to think the most incriminating thoughts,” she barely restrained herself from winking.

Vera didn’t smile back, but her eyes widened. Lynd stepped in again.

“Most fae under a certain age have never met a human, especially not one so….important to the Goblin King.” Lynd gave Vera a look that Sarah couldn’t decipher. “You must excuse Vera’s ignorance to these matters. It’s why I thought introducing you would be beneficial to her.”

Sarah laughed again, lightly, but it still seemed blatantly fake to her own ears. “I’m happy to help, Lynd.” She turned to Vera. “Consider me your own personal education on human behavior.”

Vera’s face didn’t change, but her eyes zeroed in on Sarah with a force that alarmed her.

“There’s _more_ to you, human, that is for certain.”

Sarah smiled uncomfortably. “I’ve been told that my personality really comes out once you get to know me,” she tried to sound unaffected and at ease. Lynd was still watching the interaction closely. It made Sarah nervous.

She decided to take a bit of control over the situation and make a graceful exit. She was hesitant to leave the book, along with the odd pamphlet, in the library, but she figured it could seem suspicious if she took the book with her. She’d have to hope that neither Vera or Lynd would pay much attention to her reading material.

Besides, why would fae be interested in petty human religious figures, anyway?

She shrugged her shoulders when neither Vera or Lynd spoke, attempting to look natural. She smiled.

“It’s been lovely speaking with you both, and very nice to meet you, Vera,” she nodded to the fae. “Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement with Lady Sabine…..would you both excuse me?”

Lynd inclined her head while Vera looked ready to protest. Lynd’s hand came up, so slowly and lightly that Sarah almost didn’t catch it, to rest on Vera’s forearm.

“Of course, Sarah. You have my gratitude for giving us your time this afternoon.”

Sarah nodded, smiled, and gave an awkward little bow before leaving. It felt odd to turn her back on the two of them, and that feeling alone made her even more anxious. _Why should I feel unsafe around Lynd? Hasn’t she always been kind to me before?_

Those thoughts kept her occupied until she found herself in the garden, heading towards what she assumed was the labyrinth.

She’d never traveled to the labyrinth herself – she always gone with Jareth’s magical assistance – yet something within her told her that the labyrinth was her destination. She kept walking.

She walked until the greenery bled into more familiar stones and colors. She walked until the sun began to move to the horizon line, signaling early evening. She turned a corner and saw the stone doors before she spotted Jareth.

Jareth saw her first and had time to school his features. Sarah glanced his way and started, still jumpy from her interaction in the library.

“Sarah,” he said, and went back to staring at the labyrinth’s doors.

She felt strangely calm as she approached Jareth and stood at his side. Gone was the angry tension between them from before; now Sarah felt a sense of peace.

She wanted to mention what happened in the library with Vera and Lynd, but thought better of it. She didn’t want to disturb the ease they both were feeling in the moment.

Jareth spoke again. “I find myself conflicted and torn between loyalties, of sorts, with no resolution in sight.”

Sarah decided to keep quiet and let him continue, though she inclined her head in acknowledgement and invitation to go on.

“I’ve never….really had to deal with anything like this before, and it’s led to a lot of mistakes, on my part.”

He looked at her then, looking for an answer. Sarah wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say; he wasn’t being direct.

She took a breath through her nose and released it before she faced him. “What do you mean by that, Jareth?”

Jareth exhaled sharply and seemed to bite the inside of his cheek before answering.

“My ultimate motivation, my entire time as King, has been revenge for the murder of my family. It’s kept me focused, alive, and determined to keep this kingdom running the way my father left it.”

He began taking steps forward and then back, pacing as he continued. “It has given me an excuse, not that I particularly ever needed one, for some of the….less savory things I’ve done.”

Sarah raised a brow, not sure she was impressed with his current line of reasoning.

Jareth stopped and looked to her. “It’s been a convenient excuse – certainly one I could live with – until I brought you here.”

“Until you brought me here.” Sarah echoed as he stepped closer.

“Yes,” Jareth nodded. “Yes….now things are different. I don’t find that revenge is my only motivation anymore, and it’s competing with you for my loyalty.” He looked at her fully then, and she was the first to break eye contact.

“I’d never want to compete with your family for your loyalty, Jareth.” She didn’t know what else to say to him. She looked off to the side, at the doors to their left.

“You aren’t – not really.” He stepped closer and she felt his presence as though he were some unstoppable object. “This is simply the first time that anything I’ve done in the name of revenge or family loyalty has caused me to regret the consequences.”

“The imp….” She trailed off. She supposed he could have just regretted that he’d been caught. She wasn’t fully convinced.

“Yes, the imp – I wasn’t just unhappy that you found out, by the way. I could tell that you felt bad about the incident, and were worried for Sabine. I kept telling myself that your…exposure in such a way – controlled yet public, allowing my subjects and any spies from neighboring kingdoms to see you without assessing you – would benefit my cause. What’s more, they’d think that you were powerless, that the imp had compelled you so easily. It could only benefit me and lend us the element of surprise. Yet I felt guilt.” His smile was small but wry, “It is an unfamiliar emotion for me, I assure you.”

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Jareth seemed to sense her struggle and spoke again. He was even closer, his feet standing directly in front of hers. She looked up.

“I’m….obviously not adept at communicating like this but I….hope you understand that you mean more to me than your humanity or your ability to use magic, Sarah.”

She wanted to reply that _yes, _she did understand. Or was beginning to – Jareth spoke before she could.

“I talked to Mahalia and already disciplined Lin and Ben for the way they spoke to you at breakfast, the other day. I don’t think you’ll have any more _direct_ conflict with them.”

Sarah stared up at him. “Thank you – for doing that.” She cleared her throat. “I think I understand what you’re saying and I forgive you, for using me, earlier.” She said the last part drily, with a smile.

She lifted her hand, slightly, to touch his. He grasped her fingers and squeezed. She kept talking. “I think we can come to an….agreement of sorts.” He raised his brows but didn’t speak. “So long as you don’t keep things from me anymore.”

With that, she rose up on her toes and kissed him before she lost her nerve, and before he could reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading -- I'll try to update more regularly, but I'm letting you all know that I'm heading to Vietnam for a research trip in a couple days. Hopefully things won't be too hectic for too long.
> 
> I'll aim to post again w/in two weeks :)


	22. Chapter 22

The kiss was light, tentative, before Jareth deepened it, opening his mouth and gently sliding his tongue along Sarah’s lips. She opened her mouth with a sigh.

He removed his hand from hers and placed it at the back of her head, threading through her hair. His other hand came up to grasp her waist, his hold firm.

Sarah’s own hands came to brace on Jareth’s chest, especially since the kiss – not to mention the prospect of their détente, the relief she felt – was beginning to make her slightly dizzy.

She curled her fingers into his jacket and her breath hitched when Jareth’s lips moved to her jaw and then her neck; his open-mouthed kisses made her hum in the back of her throat.

“_Jareth,” _she tried to prompt, not sure if she wanted to be in the labyrinth any longer. She felt like they were being watched. She couldn’t manage many other words, and hoped he understood that she wanted to take….whatever they were doing….elsewhere. He didn’t disappoint.

He gripped her tighter and Sarah felt the air move around them – they were no longer outside.

At that moment she realized they were somewhere she’d been before, but only in a dream. It was Jareth’s room. She recognized the velvet curtains and remembered thinking his bedroom was _palatial, _all those weeks ago_. _

It was certainly larger than her own bedroom, but Sarah could see now that the décor wasn’t so far-off from the rest of his castle. She looked back to Jareth.

He looked down at her for a moment, seeming to struggle with something, before saying, “Sarah…”

She interrupted him, not wanting to ruin the moment, the excitement she could feel growing within herself. They could talk later, tomorrow, for all she cared. She just wanted to keep kissing him, touching him. He didn’t argue when she touched her lips to his and starting removing his clothes.

*

She peeled his jacket off first; it fell to the floor with a dull thud. She smoothed her hands over his chest, going for the buttons of his shirt with more haste than usual. It made her movements jerky, bordering on clumsy.

His shirt was half-undone when he seemed to lose patience and gently caught her wrists in his right hand, pulling her attention away from his clothing.

He released her wrists and reached for the clip holding her hair partially up, at the back of her head. Her hair fell down, its weight comforting. Jareth dropped the clip to the floor as he began divesting her of her own clothes.

After a moment, he stopped and stared; his fingers went through her hair and he pulled some of it around her shoulders. He touched her jaw, her lips. She felt like she was being arranged for a photograph or painting. They stood like that, with Sarah naked and waiting for Jareth to do something, and Jareth looking at her wordlessly – some strong emotion evident in his eyes.

Finally, Sarah couldn’t handle waiting any longer and moved backwards towards the bed. Jareth followed as he took off the rest of his clothing.

They moved together up the mattress, with Jareth on top, parting her legs with one of his own. He looked as though he were about to move in to kiss her, but decided against it, moving his body downwards.

Jareth’s hands moved up her thighs, caressing the skin as they made their way to her center.

She could feel how wet she was, and she hoped Jareth wouldn’t draw this out forever. He was showing her more tenderness than she was used to, which was nice, but she was in the mood to take things at a faster pace. She spread her legs shamelessly.

She thought she’d gotten her wish when Jareth opened his mouth and parted her folds with his tongue. Sarah spread her legs even further and let out a gasp, ready to enjoy having his mouth on her.

Except Jareth’s tongue wasn’t moving – in fact, he’d taken it away and replaced it with the tips of his fingers. They were moving too slowly for much stimulation, and Sarah was getting desperate. She knew he was aware of how to get her off – had done it a number of times before. He must be messing with her.

She opened her eyes and looked down at him, expectantly and more than a little annoyed. Jareth was looking right back at her – he laughed and kept up the maddeningly slow pace with his fingers.

“I’ll go faster,” he began, “and give you my tongue, if you _tell _me what you’d like.”

Sarah panted out a hoarse laugh. _What? _“You know what I like, Jareth. I think you’re purposefully not giving it to me.” Her voice was strained and she felt weak.

His grin widened and he continued to tease her. “I do generally know what you like, Precious. I just want to hear you say it….we’ve only been together a handful of times, yes? I suppose I can always improve with your instruction.”

His eyes grew wide, almost innocent. The act may have worked if he weren’t showing his teeth in a huge grin. Sarah wanted to roll her own eyes out of their sockets. She closed them instead.

She was a bit embarrassed, not used to being very vocal during sex. Jareth spoke again.

“Come, now, Sarah. Just do as I ask; this one little thing. Not many have had the opportunity to bed me in my own chambers – I ask you for so little.”

Sarah groaned in frustration and threw caution to the wind, resolving to play by Jareth’s _stupid _game. He had her too worked up – she’d probably do anything to move things along, at this point.

She took a deep breath and spoke, “Please, Jareth, use your tongue.”

He kissed her inner thigh and looked up at her, “_Where_, my Precious thing?”

_Fuck. _“My cunt. Lick my cunt and use your fingers, faster – clockwise,” she added as an afterthought. She could afford to be specific and slightly crude; she was desperate, after all. Jareth took a sharp breath.

“With pleasure,” he quickly did as she asked, and Sarah began to moan in earnest. Her body was jerking as he sped up, and he used his free hand to hold her down, his forearm a band on her lower abdomen.

She could feel herself clenching as she got closer and closer. She wanted to say something else, before she became completely incoherent. “Fuck me after – please, Jareth.” She grabbed the back of his head for emphasis. Her voice was thready but she knew Jareth had heard when he moaned against her.

That sent her over the edge; she writhed against his face as his hands moved to grip her hips. She could hear her sobs filling the air and she felt the pleasure overwhelmingly in sharp peaks. She kept her eyes closed as the last of it washed through her.

Still twitching with aftershocks, Sarah opened her eyes when she felt Jareth moving and coming to rest over her, his erection slipping between her folds and bumping against her clit. She gasped in a sharp inhale – still sensitive – and their eyes met.

They kept eye contact until he pushed inside her, slowly, and Sarah’s attention drifted down to where they were joined. Then she threw her head back and raised her hips to meet his.

He grabbed her hand and placed it at the top of her folds, just above her clit. He moved her own fingers in a circular motion at a pace to match his slow thrusts.

“Like this. You’ll come like this and I’ll watch you,” he kept moving, so maddeningly slow, “or not at all.”

Sarah nodded, ready to deliberately misunderstand him and rub herself fast enough to come. As her fingers sped up, marginally, Jareth took her hand away. Sarah whined in frustration.

“If you touch yourself faster I’ll pull out.” He put her hand back and she resumed the sedate pace. “Play nicely, Sarah.”

“_Fuck_, Jareth,” she tried to find her thoughts and string together a coherent sentence. It took more than a few seconds. “Is this payback….” She kept panting. “For Enze’s ball?”

His laugh was breathless. “I’d forgotten all about that stunt until now. Thank you for reminding me. Shall I go slower?”

Sarah’s answering _mmph_ wasn’t very eloquent but it got her general feelings across.

Jareth continued; his voice strained but still clear. “You thought you’d really one-upped me that night, didn’t you darling?”

Sarah couldn’t answer, too caught up in the sensations and his words, pushing her closer.

His thrusts seemed to become harder as he spoke. “Well, would you be surprised to know,” he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “that I got myself off right after you left – with your scent still on my fingers?” He placed his lips at the side of her neck.

Sarah came with a low moan and Jareth moved back to watch her face, her eyes closed and brows drawn together in pleasure.

Jareth watched until Sarah’s body relaxed, then he moved closer, directly over her, and quickened his pace. He gave her four more deep thrusts before muttering _“Fuck,_” into Sarah’s shoulder and coming with a loud groan.

*

They lay like that for a few beats, until Sarah got too hot and lightly pushed on Jareth’s shoulder. He moved off of her and fell to the side.

She moved to kiss him, quickly, but planting her right hand next to his head as he deepened the kiss. Then she broke away and smiled before climbing off the bed to find his bathroom.

Jareth sat up, with a slight question on his face. “Where are you going, Precious?”

Sarah laughed. “Without my clothes? I’m trying to find your bathroom, Jareth.”

She would’ve missed the relief on his face if she hadn’t been looking for it – his expression changed quickly to the mischievous grin he sported so often. “Take a right and then a left.” He fell back into the mattress.

Sarah found the bathroom quickly, noticing how his rooms were _huge. _She saw at least three open doors going to different sections in the quick peek she’d taken.

His bathroom was huge, too. Sarah made a mental note to use his bathtub later tonight or tomorrow, since she’d already made the decision to stay the night. She wondered how that would work out.

She cleaned up and walked back to his bedroom, jumping up to his side.

She again felt the need to mention her earlier weird interaction with Lynd and Vera, in the library – not to mention whatever he’d been about to say before they’d gotten distracted and Sarah had interrupted him – but she forgot about anything rational when he kissed her and they started all over again.

-

Sarah woke early, when the sky was a light purple color that barely shone through the heavy curtains. They weren’t her curtains – Sarah was slightly confused and blinked a couple times.

She stiffened when she felt a hand over her waist, on her bare skin, then relaxed when she looked down and saw it was Jareth’s. Then she remembered the night before.

She closed her eyes for a second, trying to take in the moment – happy and slightly bewildered that they’d managed to spend the whole night together and wake up next to one another in the morning. It was more functional than she was used to, with him.

Sarah delicately moved his arm from her waist and turned, sitting up. She tried not to make any sudden movements as she looked down.

Jareth was asleep, his breaths deep and even. His face was relaxed and his right hand twitched slightly; Sarah smiled – a slight pull of the mouth – it reminded her of a dog having a dream. She shifted and tried to fall back asleep, but couldn’t seem to drift off. After fifteen minutes of feeling restless, she slowly – _slowly – _got out of the bed and tiptoed away, searching for the clothes she’d worn the day prior.

She dressed, hoping Jareth wouldn’t wake up and think she’d run off. She planned to be gone for just a short while, but ruining the accord they’d come to last night didn’t seem like a great course of action; she’d try and avoid a misunderstanding at just about any cost.

She decided to try and leave a note if there was paper and a spare pen lying around. Quietly walking into the adjoining room, she searched for a desk.

To the far right, she found it. The small writing table faced another window with a light, gauzy set of curtains. Peering through them, Sarah saw what looked to be the gardens she’d walked through multiple times, just from a different angle. She wondered if Jareth had ever seen her in there, from this very window. She zoned out a bit, thinking and staring at the sky as it changed from purple to pink.

She jerked out of her trance-like state and turned her attention back to the desk. Sarah didn’t want to snoop – and didn’t have to – there wasn’t much on the surface. She found an empty writing pad, tore off a sheet of paper, and took the surprisingly human-looking pen from the desk’s left side. She smiled at the thought of some ancient quill-and-ink set she’d been expecting.

She scribbled the note quickly: _Went to walk in the gardens a bit (couldn’t sleep). Be back soon, -S._

Walking back into the room, Sarah looked over at Jareth, still sleeping. She placed the note on the pillow she’d previously occupied and slowly exited the rooms, finding a door with a long atrium leading to the gardens.

The atrium was gorgeous; it looked like whoever had been in charge of the thing absolutely _loved _orchids. They filled the space everywhere she looked, in just about every color – pink, purple, white, green, and blue.

She took her time walking through the hall before she exited from a glass door into the main gardens. She marveled at how she hadn’t seen the atrium during her previous trips here; she turned and saw that the glass doors were well-hidden, almost camouflaged by the surrounding landscape.

It was a bit cold outside – the atrium had been warm. Sarah shivered slightly and walked further, near a stone bench towards the garden’s center. Everything was so quiet and peaceful. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, willing the sun to rise further and warm her up.

Last night had been _good. _Sarah was feeling a lot better about things with Jareth, but didn’t know how long that would last. Things hadn’t _really _changed – not in a material way, she supposed.

She was still here for a very specific purpose – so what if Jareth had feelings for her? She tried to remind herself to focus on doing well at Midwinter, avoiding war, and helping the Goblin Kingdom. Still….she wanted to luxuriate in the happier feelings a little bit longer.

Suddenly, she heard a shuffling sound. Thinking it might be Jareth, she smiled a bit before turning her head to greet him and apologize for leaving his rooms so early in the morning.

Before she could, something hit her over the head – _hard. _It hurt like a bitch, too. Dazed, she pitched forward, shocked but still conscious. She tried to hang onto her consciousness as she slid from the bench and to the ground, but it was no use. She could feel a sense of nausea coming on, as well.

Everything got colder and she closed her eyes before she could see or feel anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes....did NOT mean to take this long to update. Traveling and life really got me, there. I promise I won't take another....eight and a half weeks....to post another chapter. So pls don't be mad about the cliffhanger.
> 
> Will also be updating my other WIP soon xx


	23. Chapter 23

** _Mua He, about three weeks ago_ **

** **

The palace was open to the elements; at times, rain would lash against the white pillars and make the marble floors slippery.

Now, however, the air was pleasantly cool and the sun shone through greenery that guarded Sothy’s home like immobile soldiers.

It was gorgeous; unfortunately, the Empress could not appreciate it.

She couldn’t even appreciate her breakfast – she was vexed.

Her serene face did not show this, though the astute observer could detect her emotions through her voice. It was sharp and did not hold the typical tinkling, bell-like quality.

Empress Sothy sat across from the prisoner, momentarily grateful to Cipta for his forethought and cunning. He’d always served her well.

This man would be invaluable in finalizing their plans against the Goblin King.

He appeared unaffected and sipped from his glass without returning Sothy’s piercing stare.

He’d adapted to the Underground perhaps _too well_, she thought. She could sense very little from him – it wasn’t as though he had strong mental shields, as a human. This was the primary cause of Sothy’s vexation.

He just felt _nothing. _She found his lack of feeling mildly disturbing. He was mortal, after all. He couldn’t even use magic. Humans were supposed to be creatures of deep and ever-changing emotion.

Perhaps his transition to their realm had damaged him somehow.

Apart from the Goblin King and his wished-aways, contact between Underground denizens and humans was not _strictly _allowed. Many fae did not know how to access the Above, let alone how to successfully bring humans here.

That had not stopped the Empress, or her agents, from finding him and bringing him to her kingdom. She’d paid handsomely for this prisoner.

When she’d…acquired him years ago, she had hoped he would fret and agonize over his newfound position as a prisoner of Mua He.

His sudden appearance in the Underground affected him little; even worse, Sothy’s torturers had barely been able to crack his unsettlingly calm exterior.

Sothy had looked forward to feeding off his despair. After months of torture, she’d cast him aside when he’d shown none.

Now, he existed as a pampered houseguest. He was not allowed to leave her kingdom, but he found all sorts of debauchery with which to entertain himself.

Sothy found his existence distasteful – nauseating, really. She often tried to forget about him. He struck her as unnatural. And useless.

The recent appearance of Sarah Williams had changed that.

Sothy tried to remind herself that he was useful _now_. She tried to remind herself of why she’d acquired him after Sarah Williams had defeated the labyrinth a decade ago.

She sat back and took a fortifying breath.

“Tell me of the Champion’s weaknesses.”

He finally turned his head to her, fully, giving a lopsided smile. She didn’t like it and fought not to curl her lip in revulsion.

He seemed to ponder the question far longer than was necessary, sipping from his glass once again. He set the glass down and spoke.

“Sarah is spoiled, childish. She is easily manipulated by kindness and has no talent for machinations of her own. She would not do well here.”

Sothy considered a moment. “Does she have any magical abilities – to your knowledge?”

He shook his head. “She does not, but that may have changed, as you well know.”

The Empress agreed – according to Cipta and their informants, Sarah Williams had not been able to escape potential capture at the Goblin Markets through magic, but that could have been by design.

It could have been set up for _her _benefit. And Enze’s.

She had no idea what the Goblin King might stage or fabricate – if he had the foresight to make others believe that his Champion was powerless, for his own benefit.

Sothy would have to find out – contact with the labyrinth could certainly result in a human having magic.

She shook her hair, adjusted her headdress, and fixed her gaze upon the prisoner again.

“We have a spy close to the Goblin Kingdom – were she to…endear herself to Sarah Williams…how might she go about that?”

The prisoner gave a careless shrug – the man was _much _too comfortable here. Sothy was quickly growing annoyed.

“Appeal to her inane love of this very place – she was always enamored with the idea of magic, adventure, fairy tales. If your spy is able to appear genuine, it won’t take much else. The girl makes friends easily. I do not believe that has changed.”

The Empress sipped from her own glass. Bending her wrist, she called Cipta over from his position at the threshold.

He scurried to her side. “Yes, Excellency?”

“Fetch Lynd, Cipta.”

He scurried away and through the doors. A moment later, Lynd appeared by his side. She bowed in greeting.

“Lynd,” Sothy began. “Has Jareth called his courtiers back yet?”

Lynd rose from her bow and looked to the prisoner quickly before addressing Sothy. “No, Empress, but my brother tells me he may hold an amended, smaller court in the coming weeks.”

Sothy smiled. “Make sure you are part of that smaller court. How is your relationship with Thale, these days?”

Lynd’s eyes narrowed, attempting to hide her bitter thoughts from the rest of her face. “It is…placid. He and our family still do not know of my current loyalties. I do not believe my request to attend court would be seen as suspicious.”

Sothy recognized and luxuriated in Lynd’s misery – her revulsion.

Lynd had always hated her family – it was the primary reason Sothy had been able to approach her in the first place. She was jealous…bored…or something. Sothy didn’t care much for the details.

Lynd felt so very _deeply_; decades in the Empress’s employ had not lessened her hatred.

For this, Sothy was grateful. She found Lynd’s resentment fortifying – refreshing. Especially in contrast to the man sitting in front of her.

“Has he spoken to you of the Champion’s return to the Goblin Kingdom?”

Lynd’s face did not change, this time – it was a testament to her use as a spy.

“He has not, but that is not surprising. He was silent for weeks, not too long ago. His loyalty to Jareth knows no bounds…I had also heard, very recently, of the incident in the Goblin Markets, Empress.”

Sothy nodded – she imagined news of the Champion’s attempted kidnapping had made it around most of the Underground, by now.

“You will ask your brother about returning to court and befriend Sarah Williams. I will be _most _interested to learn if she possesses any magical abilities. If you can confirm this, you will bring her to King Enze for questioning. This must happen before Midwinter.”

Lynd nodded. “Is there anything else, Empress?”

She smirked and looked at the prisoner sitting across from her. “Have I introduced you two yet?”

He shook his head and stood up from his seat, approaching Lynd. He gave her a jaunty little bow and straightened.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Lynd. I’m Robert Williams.”

** _Hiems Kingdom, present_ **

Sarah woke to a cold floor and darkness. Her head still hurt; it was tender in the back.

She tried to move – her hands were unbound – but whoever had dumped her in this cell must have just thrown her to the ground. Her neck ached terribly and she could feel bruises forming on her arms and legs.

She would be pissed off if she had the energy.

Sarah attempted to raise herself on her arms and turned her face. Then she realized – her mouth was covered.

She didn’t know how she had failed to feel the gag at first, but chalked it up to how disoriented she was, at the moment.

She succeeded in sitting up and leaned against a stone wall. It was _cold_ – she tried to remember what had happened before she’d lost consciousness.

Then she tried to think of where she could be. She didn’t even know what day it was.

Suddenly, there were footsteps and the clanging of metal against metal. A dim light appeared in front of her.

The figure outside was tall, male, and opening the door. Sarah tensed.

He came closer, and Sarah realized it was Sabine’s brother – Enze. His white teeth glinted in the dim light.

Realization that she was in the Hiems dungeons washed over her – it was not comforting. She tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever Enze would do.

She still couldn’t speak, but her widened eyes made him laugh.

“Welcome back to my kingdom, Champion. Under such happy circumstances.”

He crouched down next to her. She recoiled.

“My apologies for the rough handling, but we couldn’t very well ask Jareth to hand you over, could we? We had to plan this with someone _inside _the Goblin Kingdom. Took a fair amount of strategy.”

She couldn’t answer, but narrowed her eyes in response. Her mind was racing, trying to figure out who had betrayed her and Jareth.

He seemed to remember that her mouth was bound. “Ah, yes – the gag. It’s magically fastened to your face. When Lynd found out about your ability to use compulsion, we knew that you couldn’t be allowed to speak.” He paused, his eyes searching hers.

Her blood froze in her veins as he kept speaking.

“Really, I’m disappointed that I couldn’t witness the reveal myself. At my own ball! I never liked General Lin and Ben myself, so I don’t blame you for your conduct towards them,” he winked.

Sarah’s head was spinning – _Lynd?_ Had seen her compel Lin and Ben? And kidnapped her?

She tried to remember back to the ball…remember when Lin and Ben had attempted to force her and Sabine to dance. She hadn’t thought anyone was paying attention when she’d told them to back off and drink themselves into a stupor.

She felt stupid.

“We cannot allow you to compel us by speaking, but we must know if you possess other abilities – as well as what you know about Jareth and his Midwinter ceremony. I’m planning a war, after all.”

She felt nauseous and fought to keep her mental shields in place. She was so disoriented.

Enze spoke again.

“Now, if you’ll just open your mind to me, we can refrain from anything unpleasant. You won’t even have to betray the Goblin King with your own words,” he crooned.

She shot him a glare and his eyes seemed to light up.

“No? Well…this is one of my favorite activities. I hope Sabine told you about our many, lovely memories together.”

She wanted to spit in his face at the mention of Sabine.

He conjured a small flame in his left hand and Sarah watched it grow brighter, illuminating the squalid cell further.

“This flame is not damaging…physically. But it will _feel _as though you are being burned. Shall I show you?”

Sarah felt a scream forming in the back of her throat as Enze dropped the flame to the ground in front of her. Close to her crossed legs.

It grew larger and Sarah felt it – the heat was beginning to lick at her arms and legs. She pulled her lower body up.

She yelped behind the gag and tried to scoot backwards, but the wall wouldn’t let her. The heat grew stronger.

It was _unbearable. _She began to scream, muffled, and shrunk into herself.

She knew that it must not be harming her – not truly. But she’d never felt anything more real and painful. She thought the fine hairs on her arms must be singeing, or her skin could be melting off.

Enze just stared at her as she fought to keep her shields in place and get away from the flame.

“Your mind is quite strong, Champion. You’ve been trained well, haven’t you?”

She couldn’t focus on his words – she just focused on the heat and pain. She was going to pass out…in her panic, she briefly wondered if Enze could access her mind while she was unconscious.

Then she passed out.

The next thing Sarah felt was icy cold; she shifted in her sitting position and looked up in time for Enze to backhand her across the face.

Her head whipped to the side. She didn’t know how much more she could take. He started his fire trick again. Once again she lost consciousness.

The last thing she heard was Enze speaking in disgust. “Humans are _weak._”

Several hours later, Sarah woke to the sound of a small voice.

Her heartrate spiked and she looked around for Enze, but he must have gotten bored and left the dungeons.

“Champion – _champion. _Wake up.”

She turned her head and sought out the owner of the voice.

It was so dark; as she struggled to see, she saw movement a few feet in front of her.

The figure was small – almost skeletal. Their frame was silhouetted by the weak light in the dungeons. Sarah hadn’t seen anyone that thin since…

Since Enze’s ball.

The figure seemed to sense Sarah’s recognition, saying “Yes, Champion. We’ve seen one another before.”

It was the small girl that Enze had thrown at Sabine’s feet, not so long ago. Sarah wasn’t sure how she’d gotten here, or if they were actually sharing a cell…she could barely think.

She hardly knew if the girl was real or if she was just dreaming.

The girl continued. “I’m in your debt…your arrival here has kept Enze occupied for the past two days. He hasn’t had the chance to beat me.”

Sarah didn’t know what to say to that; she was, for once, glad about the gag and slumped a bit further into the wall at her back.

“I believe you are forgetting something, Champion.”

That had Sarah furrowing her brow in confusion. She still didn’t sit up, feeling too weak.

“They took your voice – making you unable to compel them…but you have another ability, don’t you? I can sense it.”

Sarah’s eyes shot wider. She held out her hands, attempting to communicate, and mimed opening a door. She tried to straighten herself, and the small girl laughed.

“Not so fast, Sarah. You’re not well. I don’t want you losing consciousness again.”

The girl shifted a bit closer. She felt a wave of a hand around her face.

“I can’t remove the cloth around your mouth. But your hands are unbound. That is where your power lies, yes? I think we may have about three hours until Enze comes back down here – we will let you rest for an hour and begin our escape.”

Sarah just made a muffled noise that sounded like defeat.

“Do not give up so fast. I will help you – and you will ensure that we _both _make it to the Goblin Kingdom in time for Midwinter.”

Sarah nodded before closing her eyes to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated in less than two weeks! Yay! Hope you liked it. 
> 
> Next up will be an escape -- hopefully successful. 
> 
> How's everyone doing during all this craziness? Is everyone social distancing, isolating, quarantining? I did a home workout the other day and can barely feel my legs. I hate exercise.
> 
> I've had a lot of time to write, so it shouldn't be very long before I have another chapter out :)


	24. Chapter 24

** _Goblin Kingdom, two days ago_ **

It was still early, and Jareth didn’t want to get up just yet. Sun was just barely beginning to brighten the room, peeking through his heavy curtains.

He rolled over onto his back and stretched, slightly. Without opening his eyes, Jareth moved his right arm and felt empty sheets.

Swallowing disappointment, he moved his arm further up to put it behind his head.

He heard a crinkle of paper.

Finally opening his eyes, he saw mussed sheets next to him and a note, clutched in his right hand.

_Went to walk in the gardens a bit (couldn’t sleep). Be back soon, -S._

Something akin to elation saturated through Jareth’s being. He couldn’t help the small smile on his face as he got out of bed and looked for his trousers.

The sun was now fully risen, but he imagined Sarah hadn’t been gone for too long.

The night before had been a long time coming, and Jareth was happy that they both appeared to be on the same page, for now.

Talking to Sarah about how he felt for her – how his feelings had been _growing _beyond his control – terrified him.

Another thing that terrified him was the secret he’d been keeping from her since she’d arrived.

He’d wanted to tell her, before they went to his chambers, but Sarah hadn’t seemed in the mood for speaking.

That suited him fine – at the time. Now, he knew he’d have to tell her about the prospect of Robert Williams being alive. He wasn’t sure where the man was, or if he actually _was_ alive, but Sarah didn’t want any secrets between them.

Jareth wanted to do his best for her. He would tell her what he knew.

Walking through the atrium, he wondered how Sarah would react. He expected tears, questions, even anger.

What he couldn’t, and wouldn’t, consider would be Sarah’s hatred. He could not stand that. He shoved the idea from his mind.

Steeling himself, he exited the atrium and walked into the garden. After a few minutes of searching, he couldn’t find any sign of her.

Pushing back the worry growing within, Jareth conjured a crystal and looked in Sarah’s rooms – hoping she’d forgive the breach of privacy.

She wasn’t there, either.

Jareth summoned Thale. The man appeared before him.

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Thale, search the castle for Sarah. Be quick.”

Thale bowed and disappeared.

Jareth paced the gardens, willing there to be a simple explanation for Sarah’s unknown whereabouts.

Thale appeared again, minutes later.

“Your Majesty, she is not here.”

Jareth frowned, anger and worry beginning to compete within him for dominance. “Not…here…” He trailed off. “Has anyone seen her this morning?”

Thale shook his head and made a face. It looked like trepidation. Jareth motioned for him to continue, impatiently.

“My sister, Lynd. She’s also missing.”

Jareth’s eyes narrowed. This was suspicious. Lynd was not usually part of his inner court, and he’d invited her back at Thale’s request.

Also suspicious was the fact that it was dangerously close to Midwinter, and Sarah’s presence was essential for the ceremony.

He didn’t know if others were completely aware of Sarah’s importance for Midwinter, but Jareth suspected that Enze and Sothy must be behind this.

They wanted to rattle him, somehow. It was working.

He looked sharply at Thale, who seemed to cringe backward, slightly.

“Send envoys to Hiems and Mua He. Contact our spy in Enze’s castle. Then bring Commander Mahalia to me.”

Thale left immediately, leaving Jareth alone in the garden.

Jareth looked out at the shrubs and flowers, watching as the day began and surrounding area teemed with life. He bit the inside of his cheek and brought his hands up to rub his temples.

He needed Sarah to be alive, for his own sanity. He couldn’t lose her.

** _Hiems Kingdom, present_ **

“Wake up, Champion. It’s time for us to leave.”

Sarah’s head jerked up. She was still exhausted; her body felt half-broken. She knew she needed to leave and make it back to the labyrinth before the ceremony, but she was so _tired._

The small woman helped Sarah up – Sarah groaned; it was muffled underneath the gag.

Once she was standing, the smuggler conjured a dim light in her hand. They slowly walked to the cell bars and peered through.

The dungeons looked empty. The smuggler looked at Sarah, expectantly.

She’d almost forgotten that she was supposed to open the cell and get them out of there. She held out a hand and focused on the lock holding the bars closed.

It was difficult to concentrate; her weakness was both physical and mental. She felt for the magic keeping the cell shut.

The lock popped open and Sarah sagged a bit, into the smuggler.

Hoisting Sarah’s arm over her right shoulder, the small woman pulled them into the hallway.

They both kept looking around, sweeping the area with their eyes. Sarah hadn’t noticed the smell before, but now it hit her with all its force.

The dungeons smelled dank and rotten, just barely exposing the pain and fear they held within them. She tried to breathe as little as possible.

Sarah and the smuggler slowly walked up the steps – half out of caution and half due to Sarah’s injuries.

At the top of the stairs, the smuggler breathed a sigh of relief.

“There are sometimes guards here. We are lucky.”

Sarah gave the woman a sardonic look but nodded. She looked around, searching for a door.

The smuggler answered her unspoken question. “There is an exit, in the servants’ section. I will glamour us as much as I can, but we may have to fight.”

Sarah huffed at that, knowing she’d be of absolutely zero use in a fight.

Smiling, the woman pulled Sarah down the corridor. It was empty; they crept along slowly but surely.

Turning a corner, they spied a woman carrying linens and walking away from them. The smuggler waved a hand over them and put a finger to her lips.

They walked quietly until the servant was too far ahead to notice them.

At the next corner, Sarah could see double doors that had to be their exit. Unfortunately, they almost ran headlong into two men.

The small woman next to her quickly dropped Sarah’s arm. She tried her hardest to stand straight without the help.

Sarah recognized one of the men instantly. It was the imp. He seemed to recognize her, as well. His eyes widened.

The other man looked at the two of them disdainfully. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the kitchens? Who is your superior?” He barked the last part. He didn’t seem to notice Sarah’s gag.

The smuggler had frozen, but looked like she was about to respond, when the imp spoke first.

“They’re working under Margery. I believe she sent them to collect herbs in the garden.”

The other man nodded and shooed them away. “Run along.”

Sarah passed the imp and nodded to him, gratefully. He nodded back, slowly.

They reached the double doors and the smuggler pushed, hard. A cold wind hit Sarah’s face and she shivered.

Outside the castle walls, the woman spoke. “We will have to reach the border by foot, Champion. It will take the day.”

Sarah didn’t even know what _part _of the day it was. She looked to the sky and guessed mid-morning. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her neck and sides, and began walking.

The terrain was grassy and there were spidery footpaths woven throughout. Light frost seemed to be melting in the midday sun.

They trudged for hours; while Sarah had warmed up, it was marginal. Her feet began to hurt in the light shoes she was wearing. Her head felt like it would split open.

Still, they walked. Eventually, the smuggler spoke.

“I saw, at the Hiems ball, that you knew Commander Mahalia.”

Sarah looked up and nodded, curious as to what this woman knew of Mahalia.

The smuggler wore a satisfied smile. “Well, I have a story for you, Champion. The Commander and I come from the same island in Mua He. She has become somewhat of a legend there.”

Sarah nodded once again, encouraging the small woman to continue. It would be a worthwhile distraction from the cold and the wind, at the very least.

The smuggler adopted a more serious tone – her voice carried and deepened, setting the stage.

“Centuries ago, on the island of Warakas, traders in the port city of Neibrun were forced to come to a difficult decision.”

“Empress Sothy wished for a new concubine – a new pet – and she instructed the wealthy merchants who governed the island to choose their most beautiful and beloved youth for her personal harem.”

“Commander Mahalia was the daughter of the wealthiest merchant. She was young, strong, pretty, accomplished, well-loved by everyone in the city – a true favorite of Warakas.”

“But her father did not want to give her away. All in Mua He know of Sothy’s cruelty; he did not wish to lose his first and only daughter to the Empress’s pleasure gardens.”

“Her father instructed his fellow merchants to search high and low for a beautiful street urchin; someone whom they could dress in gold-cloth and brocade to trick the Empress.”

“He hired the city’s most accomplished wailing women to moan and cry at the street urchin’s loss. The deception was well-planned. But doomed.”

“The merchants found a boy of little status, but great beauty. They scrubbed him clean and bedecked him in their most expensive fabrics and jewels. The wailing women were primed and instructed to sob when Mahalia’s father presented the sacrifice.”

Sarah looked sidelong at the smuggler; she thought she knew where this was going.

“It did not work – Sothy saw through the ruse and it sent her into an awful rage. She instructed her high priest and advisor, Cipta, to conjure a monsoon the likes of which Warakas had never seen. The water and wind destroyed homes and boats – days passed and Sothy did not relent.”

“The wealthy merchant and his fellow traders were at a loss for what to do – he refused to sacrifice his daughter. But people grew desperate and the poorest of the city were dying at alarming rates, especially those without shelter.”

“On the third day, braving the monsoon on foot, Mahalia left her father’s home and asked for a private audience with the Empress. She explained that _she _was the intended sacrifice and challenged Sothy to a game.”

Sarah’s eyebrows rose.

“The game was one of endurance – many children of Warakas are well-practised in holding their breath and diving into the depths of the ocean, from a young age. Mahalia challenged the Empress, via a selected champion, to dive for a simple hairpin.”

“Whoever was able to retrieve the pin, without coming up for air, would win the game. If Mahalia won, the denizens of Warakas would be left unharmed. If Sothy’s champion won, Mahalia would accompany her to the palace.”

“Sothy agreed to the terms and selected her champion, the youth that Mahalia’s father had chosen in her place. He, as a fellow native of Warakas, would also be able to hold his breath for long periods of time.”

“Mahalia was confident. She tossed her pin into the water. Both participants jumped into the ocean and the search began.”

“Minutes passed, and then more. Mahalia had a trick up her sleeve; the hairpin was hers and she knew its weight – she accurately guessed that it would not sink far. She searched in the shallows, while the young boy went as deep as he could.”

“Mahalia emerged with the pin and all spectators cheered. Yet Sothy’s face did not hold an expression of defeat.”

Sarah’s eyes narrowed. This didn’t sound good.

“The Empress declared that Mahalia, in her youth and exuberance, had not declared herself safe from Sothy in the agreed-upon deal. So, because Mahalia won, Warakas would not undergo further violence. But Mahalia still had to return with Sothy.”

If Sarah could gasp, she would have. Instead, she was just able to make a muffled noise.

“Mahalia’s father and all those who inhabited Warakas mourned for months. Her name came to denote both bravery and the need for caution when interacting with the Empress. Mahalia became Sothy’s captive for a hundred years, until she was able to escape with the help of the Goblin King, Brendan.”

“From that point on, Mahalia became part of the Goblin King’s army and eventually earned the position of Commander, under the Kingship of Jareth. This is how you know her today.”

Sarah couldn’t respond, but she looked at the smuggler, who gave a wry glance in return. She wondered if the story was completely true, and how Mahalia had felt when they’d seen Sothy at Enze’s ball.

Mahalia was good at hiding her feelings, if her conduct around Sabine was any indication. Sarah resolved to try and get past her emotional barriers, if they ever made it back to Jareth’s castle.

They did not interact much more, apart from the odd comment from the smuggler.

After hours of walking, Sarah felt truly faint. She needed water, and hoped that they were almost to the border. She didn’t know how she’d be able to drink anything with the gag on, but she’d have to try.

Finally, she saw a small building in the distance, behind a copse of trees. They slowly walked further, reaching the building and entering through a beat-up doorway.

The inn looked rough – the clientele even more so. But Sarah had never been more thankful for warmth and shelter.

The smuggler spoke to a woman at the back of the room and came back to Sarah.

“We will rest here. This inn is very close to the border of the Goblin Kingdom, and outside either Jareth’s or Enze’s command. We should be safe.”

After she spoke, she turned her head sharply. A figure towards the back of the inn rose and walked towards them.

“Get behind me, Champion.” The smuggler put a hand out, encouraging Sarah to move behind her.

But Sarah recognized the figure’s gait. She knew them.

She tried to wrap her hand around the smuggler’s and squeeze, reassuringly, but the woman wasn’t paying attention.

The figure got closer and pulled their hood back. The smuggler’s arm dropped.

“Sarah,” Mahalia breathed.

Sarah burst into tears behind the cloth and rushed for Mahalia, who enveloped her in a crushing hug.

She made a noise of protest at the pain in her ribs and Mahalia drew back to look at her, seeming to notice for the first time the gag around Sarah’s mouth.

She looked at the smuggler, who came up to them. “Commander Mahalia, she has been magically gagged. By Lady Lynd Nilsi.”

Mahalia’s eyes narrowed and she shifted her focus back to Sarah. Putting a hand above Sarah’s face, she closed her eyes and concentrated.

The gag fell off, leaving Sarah to sob aloud and bury her head in Mahalia’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mahalia's back-story *very* loosely inspired by the Bajau Laut/sea nomads.
> 
> I know music can be hit-or-miss, but I was listening to some Kishi Bashi and then Lord Huron's "Vide Noir" album while writing and editing this chapter. Both great artists.
> 
> Hope everyone is continuing to stay safe.


	25. Chapter 25

** _Goblin Kingdom – two days ago_ **

** **

Thale tore through the castle and appeared outside Mahalia’s door, knocking frantically and pushing in before she could answer.

She walked out of her bedroom and into the sitting area, just dressed with her hair loose, giving the small man a questioning glance. He was not prone to hysterics.

“Commander, Lady Sarah is missing, as is my sister. Jareth has requested your presence.”

Schooling her features, she nodded and tied her hair up. “Thank you, Thale.” Her tone and brusque manner were meant to indicate dismissal. With a frantic nod, he left.

In the next moment, she appeared in Jareth’s study, expecting him to be there. He was not.

She was about to move on to search his chambers, when she spotted something in the center of his wide desk, glinting a bit in the mid-morning sunlight.

Drawing closer, her eyebrows rose as she recognized the item. It was a hairpin – simple, unadorned, and cast in a pale-yellow gold. The gold was a specialty in Mua He.

Mahalia knew that pin; she knew its weight and ability to hold back strands of hair from the face. Her hair was naturally thick, and this pin was somehow able to hold quite a lot of it.

It reminded her of her youth and home in Warakas. She’d worn it to state functions and whenever she’d wished to feel beautiful. It had been a gift from her father.

The last time she’d seen that pin was centuries ago, during a foolish game of wits and ability which she had lost. It brought back as many painful memories as it brought back fond ones.

She wondered, idly, as she stood in Jareth’s study, if it still bore any mark of the sea. She imagined salt, some gritty sand caught in the pin’s middle, but knew there was none. It gleamed as though it were brand new.

She knew where the pin came from, and knew it was meant to send a message. The situation with Sarah and Lynd was obviously connected to its sudden appearance in Jareth’s study.

Mahalia would bet that Sothy was primarily to blame for their disappearance. She grabbed the pin and went to search for Jareth.

She found him, less than ten minutes later, pacing and shirtless in the garden facing his rooms.

She walked up to him silently.

He looked up as she approached, his face void of emotion, save for the tightness in his eyes Mahalia knew to be worry.

“You’re late.”

Mahalia nodded, deferentially. “I went to your study first. I found this,” she held up the pin and Jareth studied it. Her eyes stayed on his face.

“I don’t recognize it – I haven’t been in my study in over a day.”

She nodded again. “You wouldn’t recognize it. It was mine…many years ago. The last time I saw it I was declared Sothy’s newest concubine and bound for her palace.”

Jareth’s eyes widened. “You believe it was placed in my study to send a message.” It wasn’t a question, but Mahalia answered in the affirmative regardless.

“Yes, and I’m assuming that you sent our envoys to Sothy and Enze already?”

He nodded, a jerk of his head. “I also told Thale to contact the imp.”

She looked down at the pin again, examining it closely and turning it in her palm. “Good. I will travel to Mua He…unannounced. Give me the day and I will use my old contacts at the palace to search for Sarah. And Lady Lynd.”

Jareth looked at her sharply at the mention of Lynd. “I don’t trust her – Lynd. I found her request to attend court odd, and only allowed it out of respect for Thale. I don’t think that was a wise decision.”

Mahalia inclined her head, agreeing with him. “That may be, but her disappearance is connected to Sarah’s, and we should try to find her, regardless of if she is a friend or foe.”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “You’re right…what should I do with Thale?”

She spoke slowly but firmly, guessing that Jareth’s mindset was fragile at the moment, and prone to suspicion. “I don’t think he had anything to do with Sarah’s disappearance – he’s served you many years, even when you were newly crowned during the last war. There would be little reason for him to turn on you now.”

Jareth was looking out at the garden, his jaw clenched. “That is true, but I think he should be placed under arrest in his rooms until we’ve found her.”

Mahalia walked a step closer and he turned his head to face her. She touched his arm, attempting to comfort him. “That’s reasonable. We will do what you think is best, and we’ll find Sarah before Midwinter.”

Jareth gave a sardonic laugh and looked away again. “I don’t think I could care less about the ceremony at this point, Mahalia.”

She placed the pin in her pocket. “I understand, Jareth. We will find her, regardless.”

His eyes found hers and she was slightly alarmed to see a pleading quality within them. “Find her quickly, please.”

She swallowed, unaccustomed to Jareth asking her for things with _please_ attached. Even when his family died, he’d been more angry than beseeching. It was unsettling.

She nodded and turned to prepare for her trip to Mua He.

She made a mental note to speak with Sabine before she left, and tell her to keep an eye on the Goblin King while she was gone.

** _Present – Goblin Kingdom_ **

** **

The moments after Sarah found Mahalia in the tavern passed too quickly for her to process. She registered Mahalia speaking to the smuggler, telling her that she had to bring Sarah to the castle first.

She felt Mahalia’s arm wrapped tight around her torso, but she could barely grimace in pain, let alone speak up and say something about it.

Mahalia whispered something to her, but she couldn’t make it out. She felt the pull when they left the tavern and her eyes opened slightly to see the familiar interior of Jareth’s castle.

Her relief was palpable, yet she couldn’t enjoy it. She was so tired.

She saw Sabine rushing towards her and heard Mahalia ask her to bring a physician; Sarah was too overwhelmed to do much more than ask for water.

A few faces that were only slightly familiar to her swam into her field of vision, and she registered Mahalia saying “She’ll be in the King’s chambers,” before she gave in to the pull to shut her eyes.

Sarah fell in and out of consciousness; for how long, she couldn’t tell. She’d woken up once or twice to someone telling her to drink this or sip at that, but she didn’t even _want _to be awake long enough to make sense of her surroundings.

She knew she was warm, and relatively comfortable. She could also feel _his _presence, at the far end of the room, while others would fuss over her intermittently.

When they would leave, and she would fall back asleep, she wasn’t cognizant long enough to know if he came closer or left with them.

He was in her dreams, though. Sometimes frightening, terrifying; sometimes loving and gentle. She didn’t remember many details.

Once she was slowly regaining consciousness, she heard Mahalia’s voice. It sounded far away, and part of Sarah’s mind realized she must be in an adjoining room.

“Are you going to tell her, once she wakes up?”

Jareth’s voice sounded tired. “I don’t want to upset her further. You saw what she went through.”

“And you know that she’d want to know. You’re making excuses.”

Mahalia’s tone was gentle, but firm. Sarah momentarily felt surprise at her speaking to Jareth in such a blunt manner, but perhaps the Commander was here in more of a friend-capacity than a subordinate one.

Jareth’s response was lost to her as Sarah shifted in the bed and winced at how the movement aggravated sore spots on entire swaths of her body.

She stayed that way, between waking and sleeping, for a time. She heard a door closing and someone enter the room.

He walked further inside and she felt his presence to her left. She turned again, opening her eyes and meeting Jareth’s in the dimly-lit room.

He was sitting in a chair that looked uncomfortable; his hands were resting on his knees, clasped together.

Slowly, she turned her head to better face him and slid her hand towards his. She watched it rest on the edge of the bed, as though it didn’t belong to her. Her eyes flickered back up to his.

His hand moved to hers immediately and his fingers interlaced with her own; at first, she felt the force he used, but then he seemed to draw back – fearful of hurting her.

Her fingers squeezed and that seemed to break him; his face twisted into a grimace and he moved towards her. The chair came closer and his upper body rested on the bed. His arms wrapped around her loosely.

She wrapped one of her arms around his back and moved her head slightly to accommodate his resting in the crook between her shoulder and neck.

He took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. Neither seemed to want to break the silence, or maybe that was just Sarah; she still felt disoriented. Yet she couldn’t help the niggling in her mind, reminding her of Mahalia’s words from earlier.

Before she could say anything, she heard Jareth mutter into her neck, “I’m sorry.”

She pulled back to look at him, but he held her for a moment longer. Finally, his arms relaxed enough to let her see his face.

“Why are you sorry?” she asked.

He laughed, incredulously. “I think you’re asking the question seriously, so I’ll answer it seriously: for allowing you to be captured and tortured, for taking too long to find you, the list that describes my inadequacy _does_ go on.”

Hand still holding his, Sarah extended her arm and rested her head upon it. “You didn’t capture me or torture me yourself, so that’s not on you. Lynd’s betrayal was a surprise to both of us. And as for the length of time I spent in Hiems….well, I’m assuming you have a reason for that.”

His eyes left hers and looked to the side. “Mahalia thought you were in Mua He, so I sent her there. The imp was not able to get to the dungeons when you were being tortured, but he sent word to us when he saw you and the girl escaping.”

Sarah nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. It was over now, and she’d gotten herself out of the situation with the smuggler.

Her eyes opened and she squeezed his hand again. “What does Mahalia want you to tell me?”

He shifted back, slightly, and his eyes widened. “You heard us, earlier?”

She nodded, waiting for him to go on. He shifted uncomfortably, saying, “You’ve been through a lot the past couple of days, Sarah.”

“I think you should tell me regardless, Jareth.”

He sighed deeply and grabbed his chair, scooting it even closer to her. “Fine, but I need to preface this by saying that I attempted to tell you this, the other night.”

Her smile was small, but genuine. “Mahalia’s right – you are making excuses.”

His returning smile was tentative, and wry. “I think you’ll see why, in a moment.”

He shifted in his seat and took a breath. “Years ago, not long after you were here the first time, I began having dreams about you – sent from the labyrinth.”

“In those dreams you were powerful and had your own magic. Obviously, this was the labyrinth telling me – warning me about our need for you in the future. After the eighth or so dream, I decided to go Aboveground and see you for myself and assess the situation.”

“But I was too late, and you had moved away from your childhood home. So I went inside,” he gave another small smile at her widened eyes.

“When I went in, I saw some photos on the lower level. I noticed your father was not in the more recent photos,” his glance at her was sharp and piercing. She shrank away a bit.

“Yes, he died when I was fifteen,” she said, slowly.

He looked away and continued. “I got closer to your fireplace and saw an ornamental vase that was meant to hold his remains, yes?”

She nodded.

“Whatever was in that vase was fae-touched. It held magic. I did not examine too closely, but I thought – at the time – there were changeling ashes within the vessel.”

He looked at her; her eyes were wide. Her hand left his, and she shifted so that she was on her back, staring at the ceiling.

“What does this mean, Jareth?” Her voice was flat. He winced inwardly.

“I believed, for a time, that this meant your father could be alive. I had no inkling, no way of understanding the situation further, until yesterday.”

Her head turned to his and she blinked, waiting for him to continue.

“As I said before, Mahalia went to Mua He, when she was under the impression you were with Empress Sothy. While she was there, she heard the servants talking about someone named The Prisoner.”

“Apparently he’s human – or once was – and he is an especially aggravating thorn in Sothy’s side. Mahalia was not able to glean much information, except that this man came from the Aboveground roughly ten years ago.”

His stare was meant to convey what they both knew – this man was likely her father. She didn’t know what to think, or how to feel.

She didn’t think she was angry – but she had too many emotions, not to mention the exhaustion, fighting for dominance within her.

She hadn’t realized minutes had passed until she heard Jareth say, “Sarah, please say something.”

“When is the ceremony?”

His head jerked up at her rapid change in subject, but he answered quickly. “In about a day and a half.”

She sighed and glanced to the side. “He’s going to be there.”

Jareth’s face turned confused. “How do you know this?” His tone was surprised, but not accusatory.

She looked over at him. “Do you remember that dream I had, the first night we…” she trailed off, and understanding bloomed in his eyes. He nodded.

“He was in the dream – mocking me and telling me I wasn’t worthy of the magic the labyrinth gave me. I can’t imagine that _nightmare_ was a coincidence.”

That dream felt so far away, now. She couldn’t believe Midwinter was almost happening and her nightmare would come true.

Jareth tore her from her thoughts. “No,” Jareth began. “I can’t imagine that either.” He looked down at her hands, now laying loosely at her sides.

“I don’t know how I’m going to do this.”

Jareth came closer again, taking her left hand in his. She allowed it. “You’re going to do it, Sarah – _we’re _going to do it. We can discuss more once you’ve rested, but it’s going to work. You’ve come this far. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

She nodded, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Jareth seemed hesitant, and she glanced at him once more.

“Do you….would you like time to yourself?” His speech was tentative – unsure – but his eyes were sincere.

She grabbed his hand more firmly and shook her head. “Please stay with me.”

He nodded, taking off his jacket and reaching to undo his boots.

Sliding into the bed, she felt him stretch his body along hers. She reached out, and he met her halfway; her tears fell as his arms wrapped around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't bother you all with excuses for why it took me so long to get this chapter out -- suffice to say you have my apologies. Will attempt to update my other WIP within the next week, but work is kicking my ass. 
> 
> I'm not one to keep my politics out of anything I do, so I will say something that has been on my mind the past couple of weeks: Black lives matter. I hope we're all taking this time to reflect, learn, and do better.
> 
> Lastly, if any of you enjoy 60s/70s music, I was listening to this very sultry song while it was 30C yesterday and I was finishing off this chap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQNO5W2Vm-U
> 
> Next chap is Big & will have action, smut -- all the good things :)


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